A Man to Mauritus, the first "Indian Ocean Rowing Race"
13 Jun 2009 20:42 BST
Solo Rower, Simon Prior sends the following statement from the race support vessel regarding his very difficult decision made last Wednesday, to retire from the Indian Ocean Rowing Race 2009.
"Here I am onboard the race support vessel and I'm most grateful for the kindness, warmth and empathy that the crew have shown to me upon collecting me from my rowing boat, Old Mutual Endurance. The last 54 days have been, if anything, an amazing experience with highs and lows in equal measures. Very sadly I have fallen short of the target that I set myself and I'm distraught that Mauritius never came into view.
The whole project of rowing an ocean is an enormous undertaking; physically, mentally, financially and logistically. I have learnt so much about every aspect of myself and of the seas.
The oceans are vast, phenomenal places, offering the most peaceful solitude and the most humbling of extreme seas. The ongoing issues with my watermaker and rudder lines sealed my fate. The watermaker continually failed and all storage and drinking containers became contaminated with mould, impairing my already weakened body. The rudder lines also continued to cause issues and in hindsight were never strong enough for the forces upon them.
The rudder lines broke four times in total and without sufficient spare rope to replace the lines, I was unable to steer the boat adequately. With these issues ongoing, I was finding myself sadly repairing items 3-4 hours everyday and with the days already ticking by my spirit was finally broken.
The support boat turned up just after sunrise on day 54 and the feeling of leaving Old Mutual was obviously quite emotional, having put two years of my life in to 54 days of my attempt.
The boys on the race support vessel have been absolutely amazing and I can only thank them for the kindness and professionalism they have shown. It now looks likely that I will remain onboard the support boat for the next month, before I am able to fly home".
A MAN TO MAURITUS
Simon Prior, or as he calls himself "a man to Mauritius" is intending to be the first man to win the solo Indian Ocean Rowing Race, this is the first rowing race across the Indian Ocean and the first ever ocean rowing race to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Link to live positioning for Simon's Progress
The race sets off from Geraldton, Western Australia with a finish line some 3,100 nautical miles away in Mauritius, Solos, Pairs and Fours, together with a record setting crew of Eight are all intending to push their physical and mental capabilities to the absolute limit and set new records.
With a start date of 19th April it is anticipated the fastest crews could complete the crossing in less than 60 days, while some of the Pairs and Solo Class boats may well take over 100 days.
We caught up with Simon the day before he departed for Australia and packed him off with several of our fleece rowing seats which are designed to help reduce pressure sores and pain in the gluteus maximus', you could say that we are supporting Simon, a 6'6" tall slender figure, with long levers and athletic frame, by covering his rear!
Simon is in no doubt that he is likely to face the wrath of sharks, whales and the perils of mother nature as well as the monotony of spending three months by himself in a small seven metre boat. When he finally lands ashore, he is likely to be only two thirds of his starting body weight.
So what is the driving force behind Simon's ambition? The love of adventure and the challenge to do something unique and enter the record books! With only two people previously completing this task more people have stepped on the surface of the moon than have rowed this vast ocean.
We asked Simon what his main worries were, thinking that playful whales, the weather or high seas may be of a concern but no, his biggest worry was "the water system breaking down!" The water is piped from the bottom of the boat with a solar panel that runs the water generator and takes about 20 minutes to produce a litre of 99% salt free warm water. The generator also produces power for the VHF radio and Satellite Phone.
With safety a priority Simon's preparation is the key to a successful race and training for rescue was a must. However, in Simon words "if a whale came down on you there's not much that you can do." With global economics in a tail spin the expected entry of 30 boats has reduced to 15. The smaller entry has a knock on effect with the reduction of safety boat cover going from two boats to one. Crews that sink should be prepared to be in their life rafts for anything up to four days.
The communication to Simon is via a radio which has a range of only three miles, a satellite phone and beacon's that update the boats position three times a day. You can follow Simons progress via his tracker on his web site (www.amantomauritius.co.uk) or on the race web site (www.woodvale-challenge.com) under the boat name "Old Mutual Endurance"
We asked Simon how he trained for this type of challenge? "I cycle in excess of 40 miles a day cycling to and from work with rowing sessions added in during the evening and a friend from back home is a personal trainer who gave me a training programme to follow."
What about the mental approach? "I've done quite a few trips in the past, three day runs, a months cycling but you always knew the finish was coming but with this I have to take one day at a time. Everyone that has been involved with ocean rowing have told me its all in the head, 90% sociological and just from the training I can understand that. It's important for me to have my link to the outside world via my mini laptop even if it's only my blog it will help me to focus otherwise it's the ball like in Castaway, Wilson"
Was there very much to learn for the Challenge? "Coming from a rowing back ground and having to learn all the ocean stuff was a little testing the medical kit, is huge, 20 different types of antibiotic, pain killers, syringes when, how many and how to use, First Aid, VHF Radio, Sea Survival, Ocean Navigation, Life Raft and First Aid Courses at Sea, yes just a little!"
How do you live once at sea? "Solos have to wear a life jacket at sea but in calm water I may take it off, a harness is strapped to me and attached to the boat. If I did tip in, the boat is going to move a lot quicker than me no matter how strong a swimmer I am. There are two cabins on the boat, one where I live and bunk down, the other storage. I'm afraid the toilet arrangements are very basic with a bucket and chuck it approach being the only option but I have a rather large supply of baby wipes!"
What about navigation? "I have three lots of GPS on board and have completed my Ocean Navigation Course which I found very interesting. It takes you back to navigating by the stars and the use of sextons but with the boat being so small I don't think that I would get a fix so I'm not taking one with me."
What's the thing you don't want to happen? "Although the Old Mutual Endurance boat is self righting the boat pitching its self end over end is the one thing I would least like to experience."
Are you doing any other exercises besides rowing? "I have my spare oars so I intend to set these up to help do some form of walking, after 100 plus days it will be hard to walk once you come off the sea. The other problem is the hands which are like claws every morning so I need to work on these for about fifteen minutes before I start rowing again."
How much has this cost? "The entry fee for the race is £15K but the total budget is circa £60k which I nearly didn't make. In January I was £10k short with two days to go and its all thanks to the company that I work for, that helped me reach my target."
Is there any prize money? No
Once you start the race can you be re supplied? "Any resupply and you are out the race, but you can still carry on and finish the course".
When did the boat get shipped? I haven't seen the boat for two months now and that was my life, I'm selling my ergo and I am ready to race, I can't wait to get back in the boat.
What is the first thing you want to do when you get to Mauritius? The first thing I want is a cold beer with my family.
Simons progress can be found on the following web sites.
http://www.indianoceanrowingrace09.com/
http://www.amantomauritius.co.uk