4:40 AM Thu 17 Dec 2009 GMT
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'Geoff Holt onboard his catamaran, specially adapted for him as he trains to sail the Atlantic single-handed to become the first quadriplegic to do so.'
onEdition ©
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Geoff Holt's 'Personal Atlantic' challenge, sees him sailing a 60ft, purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible catamaran on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The 2,700 mile journey will take him up to a three weeks to complete.
In completing his Challenge, Geoff Holt will become the first quadriplegic to make the journey, unassisted in every aspect of the sailing.
Here is the latest news on his journey to date:
Day 6, Tuesday 16th December
More mixed weather. The roller coaster ride of Sunday was followed by a day of glass-like conditions yesterday. Barely a puff of wind all day and seas so flat we could see turtles swimming several hundred yards away. But then, bang on cue, another lumpy and uncomfortable night last night. If you have been following the tracker, then you have seen our eratic course which has been due to unseasonal SW winds, bang on our nose. We have tried tacking into them (not easy in a catamaran) and motoring straight into them but we have barely made 500 miles in six days, using up valuable supplies and fuel; we had antipated being well over 1,000 miles by now.
The situation has not been helped by engine failure, first the port engine, then starboard and now port again. The problem is contaminated diesel blocking the fuel supply. Despite the heat and confined space, Susana has been doing an amazing job in both engine rooms, undoing the fuel supply hoses, blowing all the 'gunk' out of the pipes and changing the filters - not a pleasant job at the best of times which can not have been made any easier by the rocking of the boat, she deserves a medal. In the circumstances, I've decided the best course of action is to head straight for the Cape Verde islands. They are 420 nm away but it is the right thing to do. We could possibly manage with no engines (we are a sailboat), but we absolutely must have clean fuel for the generator which runs many of the boats' systems. At this rate, and factoring in the forecast, our ETA there is Friday.
Yesterday's fine conditions provided a great opportunity for a freshen-up, quite literally. Susana poured several buckets of 'refreshing' Atlantic sea water over me which blew away any cobwebs still lurking from Lanzarote. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it did make me feel much cleaner and brighter.
The great news for today, other than Susana's 'marvelous mechanical miracles', is that we've got fresh fish for tea - our very own fresh Dorado, caught only a couple of hours ago. Digby, our secret chef, has already got it marinading in a mix of oil, herbs and lime juice - I'll let you know how it tastes but there is going to be plenty of it.
I spoke to Elaine earlier who tells me there is a strike threatened by British Airways next Tuesday, the very day that my friends and family are due to fly out to meet us in the Caribbean - I hope they get it resolved, it would be terrible not to see everyone there as planned, especially having been awarded the flights for winning the BA Great Britons competition.
A final note to thank you for your many emails of support and encouragement for Susana & I (and Digby too). I obviously can't reply to you all individually and the five minutes on-line time I get a day costs more than $80 USD so I only have time for urgent messages, but please do keep sending, they all get read.
www.geoffholt.com
by Geoff Holt blogspot
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Kogarah, NSW
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