Boat Preparations

The delay in the start to the race has in a lot of ways, up until now, been really good news for us as we have had a chance to use Lia's ocean experience to change things on the boat and professionalise the operation.





This had been an interesting experience for us both. To have an ocean professional inspect every bit of the boat and equipment and give a brutally honest opinion as to whether it will last the distance or not is challenging (especially as it has been two years of extremely hard work to get to this point). For Lia to join a completely amateur campaign put together by a bloke who knows very little about oceans is equally challenging in a reverse way and shows that she has taken an enormous leap of faith in doing so.





By trading food with other crews and the support boats we have been able to lighten the boat considerably and have removed upto 100 kilos of weight. This will also give us a greater variety of food to choose from, which is important as we have to eat 2-3times the normal daily intake and meals bacome highlights of the day between rowing sessions.





We have also concentrated on trying to make everything on the boat as strong and as watertight as possible and Lia's experience has been invaluable in doing so. We are currently having some new hatches made and also have spent a lot of time finding appropriate foam to make seat cushions. Sitting rowing for 12 hours a day takes an awful toll on ones behind, so 'butt care' is very important.