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| September 1-10 11-20 | |
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21 September 22 September 23 September 24 September 25 September |
26 September 27 September 28 September 29 September 30 September |
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To row the Atlantic |
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The
following text is via computer translation program, so expect some minor
inaccuracies. |
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Monday,
September 30th. Gloomy weather and crossed sea are in today's menu. A quiet night, a very light wind of the North-West in 5 knots, with a swell of the North-West in 4 knots. Then the wind turned Western in the early morning, still light, and later South-West in 7 knots. The sea is very agitated, from everywhere (the South / West, the North / West, with passage from the North and from the South). Early afternoon the wind raised up to 12 knots and in 45 min it strengthened to 20 knots from the South-West. Emmanuel benefits from the good wind. But he remains cautious because the sea is very, very crossed. Far off he sees some strati. This morning the weather was quite overcast. All in all Emmanuel rowed for 14 hours. It is a good day. He saw again a small turtle. The cold begins to become intensified even before the nightfall |
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Sunday, September
29th. Yesterday Emmanuel spent 14 hours rowing. At night the western wind, 5 knots, weak enough. Small waves moving from NW and SW. Early in the morning the wind still blew weakly. The night was rather cold, even the cabin became coated with ice. As the sun rised it became warmer. But as soon as the sun is hidden with the clouds it becomes cold again. In the afternoon the north-western wind blew, as the day before. It was rather weak still, 4-5 knots. And the waves were moving from the north-west. Fortunately all the afternoon the weather was good. Emmanuel saw two globycephals in 30 meters from Ladybird, a small turtle and a group of dolphins. |
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Saturday, September
28th. This night the wind at last became WEST. Speed - 12 sometimes 15 knots. Night's rather fresh. Early in the morning: the wind WEST 7 - 12 knots, cloudy sky. This morning Emmanuel has noticed killer whale again in approx. 300 m, moving in western direction. An impressing show, though above water the back fin towers only. Emmanuel has seen also the cargoship in 600 m which goes the same direction with Ladybird. In the afternoon the NW wind 3 - 7 knots, almost insignificant. In the evening a wind from the west, 2 knots, ocean is quiet. Emmanuel got company again: the small turtle, about 30 sm in diameter, appeared next to Ladybird. Emmanuel could lift her(it) aboard to film, and then released back to the water. Because of 16 hours on oars yesterday and a fair wind today Emmanuel made good progress in the right direction. Especially comparing to the last few days of eastern winds. |
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Friday, September
27th. This night, wind EAST, 20 to 25 knots, still very rough sea. Emmanuel didn't sleep much as it's not so comfortable with floating anchor. Early in the morning the wind started to turn NORD/EAST, always a crossed sea in all directions, with passages of grains. Still remain under drift anchor. Evening contact: the conditions improved appreciably, Emmanuel now has passages from NORTH and NORTH/WEST, wind intensity is decreasing, less formed sea. This large depression while widening became less powerfull than expected. Finally Emmanuel could take again his rowing station, and intends to row until the night and even after since the weather allows it again. During his inaction, Emmanuel had refilled his fresh water reserve, made little cleaning, and revised his gear. |
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Thursday,
September 26th. Emmanuel waits for improvement. Yesterday evening the East winds continued, then at night - the same conditions, 25 - 35 knots, so another sleepless night for Emmanuel, brewed in his small cockpit as in a boiler, with strongly agitated sea and under floating anchor. Emmanuel hopes that this big low-pressure system will pass by quickly, because these conditions tire him more, morally and physically, than when he forces on his oars. Tomorrow, according to the meteorological bulletins of RFI and Mйtйoconsult-France, this tropical storm should widen in its eye (Emmanuel, let us recall, is practically in full centre of it), move in the North, and will eventually generate West winds and the South-West. In the meantime, Emmanuel has to occupy himself as much as he can. Locked into his small space, he listens on RFI to the news of the world, and there is not much more he can do - with waves of 3 in 5, 6m, Lady Bird taps without stop… In brief - intolerable conditions. Exactly by listening to RFI, he heard the record of the Atlantic for Bernard Stamm's sail. Emmanuel is content for him. Yesterday evening Emmanuel saw a cargo boat in 500m approximately, aiming West, a container-carrier. During the last contact in the evening, the conditions were the same ones as those in the morning, but the wind began to fall a little for the last half an hour. On his left Emmanuel sees big black clouds, the sea is very agitated, even very strong. It is completely insane, waves are in all the directions. Constant East wind, but it has to have some passages South/East there, because Emmanuel manages to remain in the North. He even goes back up slightly. We can only wish him a fast improvement. |
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Wednesday,
September 25. This night - very crossed, infernal sea in all the directions, north-west-north, which didn’t give Emmanuel much of a chance to sleep - brewed without stop, and EAST wind. Towards 1.30 this morning the wind turned South-East, and now East again, 15 Knots, with very cloudy passages. It also has rained since 1.30 in the morning, a lot of big cumulus. Very crossed sea permanently with large swells from North-West, not too dangerous. Emmanuel has not yet deployed the sea anchor, so the Ladybird moves back timidly for the moment Emmanuel decided it to be better to remain more in the North. Behind him in the South, he sees blue sky, straight East it is black, it is always positive to see blue sky, provided that it is not the eye of the hurricane :) Contact of 20.00GMT. Emmanuel put himself under floating anchor since the beginning of the afternoon. The wind is from East, 30 knots this time, sea very crossed north-east-north. Since 15.00 the weather is nice, but the sea starts to be formed from the East. Emmanuel is completely in the storm systems, and is still practically in full center of it. So the storm will thus pass him by all the directions. Here you are - EAST wind 30 knots, ah! If only it was western in 30 knots (he believes he never has had that since his departure) how nicely would the Ladybird take off towards the European coasts! Emmanuel does all he can to keep his course and to remain in the 42°North. Good courage. |
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Tuesday, September 24th. Today -agitated sea, waves from 2 to 4m; sky like a sieve, wind from NORTH / WEST, many cumulus, hail doubtless forerunners of a new storm. In the afternoon at 2:15 pm there appeared a good West wind of 15 knots - Emmanuel was delighted, but as usual not for a long time. It was one hour before our contact that a very particular phenomenon took place: an enormous black cloud arrived, straight above Ladybird in the height, and during half an hour there was a heavy intense, very cold rain, under this cloud the wind rose just like that to 25 - 30 knots. By turning around, Emmanuel saw far away a double rainbow magnificent! He quickly took his camera to film and to take photographs, while rain was getting into the boat through the open hatch. But the spectacle was worth the sorrow of it. Then, a thunderclap, the only one, but of a tremendous force. At that moment Emmanuel felt himself quite small in his boat, and he said to himself that he was not a big thing over there…. Then, a little later- crossed sea from North/West, West and North, with a light wind from N/W. And then - a calm, as usual, before the storm, he already perceives far away big black storm-clouds. All In all Emmanuel has rowed 16 hours. And at about 5 pm, he saw in approximately 100m from the boat a big chunk of wood, full of nails - a real danger, he would have had a lot to repair, it is better not to be in touch with such objects. He also heard on RFI that in Guadeloupe there is a tropical storm " Lydie ". Here we are, Emmanuel thus gets ready for the next storm which should approach him very quickly, according to the special bulletin of Météoconsult, and for at least two days, all around him, he may expect winds to go up to 40 - 45 knots. |
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Monday,
September 23rd. The situation is very delicate here at the meteorological level: at night there was a West wind, 4 - 5 knots, almost nothing; at 5:30 in the morning the wind turned the South/ West, but still 4 - 5 knots . At noon - return of West wind, this time 10 - 12 knots. There Emmanuel says to himself “finally a good day, if it stays like that, it makes the weather super beautiful”. But, alas, of a blow, at about 2:30 pm, a hail occurs, and simultaneously the wind from the NORTH came back, 12 to 15 knots; and in addition - a swell from North / West. Emmanuel heard on the radio that on the Azores, there was NORTH wind, and the depression over there grows hollow and thus comes to him. Emmanuel has had enough of these pitiful conditions, over and over, he has no more time for doing a yoyo. Emmanuel is comforting himself by thinking that he is still on the road of Stéphane Peyron, but for the last one on a surfing board it had to be easier to get to France than in a rowing boat. He saw a cargo boat, in 1/2 mile, and another small turtle (approximately 35 - 40cm in diameter). He puts his floating anchor, and redoubles the efforts to move forward, while remaining conscious of the danger if the sea grows bigger; but he does not want to come down any more, he won’t bear it any longer. He would dearly love to see his project succeed, but with this weather report against him, he will still have to fight and fight... |
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Sunday,
September 22nd |
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Emmanuel has a very particular thought for
France today, in September 21st, for city of Toulouse and its surrounding
, because he has relatives there - courage to All! Saturday, September 21st. Since yesterday evening, thus, again wind from the NORTH, approximately 12 knots, very crossed sea, not easy to row, the Ladybird is clapping against the waves badly. Early in the morning, after a very short night (woken 4 times in 4 hours of sleep, brewed non-stop), the sun reappears, with quite a lot of cumulus. Nothing simple here, still wind NORTH, 8 to 15 knots, then in the middle of the morning wind North-East gone up to 20 knots, in addition - with an East current, (as seen on his GPS). That low pressure on it’s move to Portugal has contributed indeed the way Emmanuel dreaded it : in pushing him South. Emmanuel put his drift and forced profoundly East. He is doing his maximum, but can defend himself only from being drifted NORTH, and as far as he has again a current against him, it is not bearable any more. Emmanuel is satisfied to have crossed 30° West yesterday, but when he unfolds his chart and sees his course since his departure from Chatham, he is sick of all these hooks made because of the climatic bad conditions there. Nothing to help him - moreover, he passes by many boats, or fishermen - really nothing simple for him. He heard on RFI an opinion of strong gale in his zone, but will be wary, he tries to limit the drift in the SOUTH, but still is drifting, the sea is despicable, crossed, formed. The ladybird is partially dry, a lot of humidity at night, in example if he leaves a T-shirt or other thing on a bag in his cabin, in the morning it is quite wet. Emmanuel saw a cargo ship in the evening, no contact. |
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