Stein HOFF: News from the route

STEIN HOFF: news from the route

Sunday, 10th. November day 93 Slowing down!
12 GMT pos: N0704 W5542 157 n.miles to Georgetown, 48 n.miles past 24 hours. Moderate breeze from ESE and moderate sea. Almost cloudless, blue sea and sky, the green colour is gone. He has only rowed 3-4 hours today, mainly to keep form being pushed north, as the current is giving him enough speed westwards for an arrival on Friday. The shark is still beside the boat, he clapped him on the back today (and kept all his fingers!). There are also 3 remora fish which eat any kind of food he throws to them, including tea-bags, but the shark would only have the mouldy bread!
He has managed to find Guyanese radio, the "Voice of Guyana". Yesterday he listened to the graduation ceremony from the University and today to religious services, local and world news, and lots of advertisements for Christmas shopping! Now that he has more time for reading, he has at last finished Martin Luther King's biography, which he found very impressive and has started on Robinson Crusoe. Now he is looking forward to the comforts of land!
Diana.

Saturday, 9th.November day 92 A new record!
12 GMT pos: N0705 W5453 195 n.miles from Georgetown, 71 n.miles past 24 hours! Moderate-fresh breeze from E, rather rough sea, current going the right way!
There have been some rain-clouds earlier, but these have cleared during the day. He is only 65 n.miles from the coast of Surinam. The current has decreased during the afternoon and the wind veered more SE, so he is being pushed a little north, he will no doubt have to keep on working hard even though it is going well. There was a lovely sun-set yesterday, he didn't row after that, so his good distance was very much thanks to the current. There has been a butterfly on the boat today, really a sign that he is near land, and a shark has followed the boat for several hours, about a metre long with a broad head and prominent jaw. He saw a ship last night, and one this morning, a large container ship on its way out from the coast. He found one last box of wine, which he is about to enjoy with the last bag of potato chips.
His mother and I are arriving in Georgetown on the evening of the 14th, he will not come in before us, so an arrival on the 15th now looks very likely. We are really looking forward to that!
Diana.

Friday, 8th. November day 91 Shallow water.
12 GMT pos: N 0719 W 5343 266 n.miles to Georgetown, 46 n.miles past 24 hours. Moderate breeze from E, current going west, 28 degrees, nice trade-wind clouds.
Last night the boat went through an area with rough sea and a lot of rolling which lasted about an hour, and after that the current has been with him, and conditions have been perfect. Maybe that was him getting onto the continental shelf, the depth was 200 metres this morning, and now only 70 metres! He has crossed the border between French Guyana and Surinam.
He is now running out of some of the goodies, today he ate the last dried banana, thanks for these to Trudi in Barbados. He had a visit from a sooty tern (the same one as a couple of days ago?) which sat on the little awning right over his head, so it felt like it was walking on his head!
He had two last packets to open, one from me with pictures of family, liquorice all-sorts and something to make him smell good on arrival and one from Rigmor with chocolate and raisins.
He has shaved, made water, and is in a very good mood.
Diana.

Thursday, 7th.November day 90 Hard work.
12 GMT pos: N0730 W5258 312 n.miles to Georgetwon, 31 n.miles past 24 hours. Light breeze from SSE, moderate seas. Still some areas with contrary current, and he has to work hard to keep the right course. It has been very warm, during the afternoon there have been several rain-squalls with southerly wind and uncomfortable swell.
The sea has become shallower, from 4000m to 1000m in the last couple of days. If he manages to keep the right course, he shuld get onto the continental shelf tomorrow with depth of about 200m. He hopes to find this westerly current there and have some easier days into Georgetwown.
He had the company of a flock of dolphins yesterday, and a giant sword-fish today, about 2 metres long, with a huge dorsal and tail-fin.
He had a phone-call from son Robert yesterday, who told him about building a model helicopter as part of physics studies, and talked to his cousin Stein in Trondheim who is coming to Guyana with his brother Gunner. Stein really appreciates that. He also phoned his mother to congratulate her on her 65th. wedding anniversary!
And he sends a greeting to everybody else.
Diana.

Wednesday, 6th.November day 89
12 GMT pos: N0732 W5227 343 n.miles to Georgetown. 31 n.miles past 24 hours. Almost calm, just a breath from ESE, gentle sea. After a tiring day yesterday, it has been much easier today, and he has been able to row at 2 knots. It was a beautiful night with stars and phosphorescence. It was so clear that he could see the North star, and the oar-blades sparkled in the phosphorescence. Today the sea has been even greener, he saw a plastic bottle, first rubbish for a long time. Lunch of rice, squid, hard-boiled egg (3 left), cheese, gherkins and ketchup! He listened to one of Michael Palin's travel accounts and to the history of classical music. He is still enjoying the days at sea.
Diana.

Tuesday, 5th.November day 88 Pushed by the current
12 GMT pos: N0714 W5154 374 n.miles to Georgetown, 66 n.miles past 24 hours. A new record, mainly thanks to the current pushing the boat north-west. He is getting a little nervous that the current may push him further from land and make it difficult to reach Guyana, but it will probably decrease when he gets nearer the coast. There was an ESE breeze, rough sea with a few large swells from NE, and high wind-clouds. During the night he felt that there was a north-going current and tried to row a bit in the middle of the night. The sea was so rough that he didn't make any headway and gave up after 3/4 hour. He could at least admire the fine, starry night.
Today there has been some rain-squalls with NE breeze, which helped him in the right direction, and felt nice and cool in the heat. The sea has become a little cooler (27 degrees) and has got a greenish color, probably due to the Amazon waters joining the sea. There have been some small, white terns around the boat, another sign that he is nearing land. He has also had a shave, an uncomfortable experience as the razor-blades are now blunt!
Diana.

Monday, 4th.November 87 A typical day at sea.
12 GMT pos: N0643 W5046 440 n.mil to Georgetown, 55 n.miles past 24 hours. Moderate breeze from E, moderate sea and current going NW, so he has had to steer 35 degrees south of the intended course, but he has still made good speed. He is 110 n.miles form the coast of French Guyana. There has been a large marlin around the boat today, which he tried to get a photo of with the under-water camera - what a hope!
He has taken fewer rests than usual as he wants to get onto the continental shelf as soon as possible where the current should be going west. He has been reminded of the last time he was here, 20 years ago with our family on our sailing yacht Red Admiral, sailing from Brazil to Barbados.
To show what he does in a day at sea, he has written up his daily schedule from 2 days ago, a typical day at sea.
Kl 7.00 Alarm-clock, listened to BBC World news.
Kl 7.30 Dried up the cock-pit, used the loo-bucket, wrote up the log.
Kl 7.50 - 9.05 Rowed, new moon, stars
Kl 9.05 - 10.00 Breakfast, tidied up.
kl 10.00 - 10.10 Played the recorder.
Kl 10.10 - 12.15 Rowed, stretched out a bit.
kl 12.15 - 13.00 Tea and snacks. Tidied the cabin, hung out bed-clothes, wrote up the position.
kl 13.00 - 15.00 Rowed. Listened to CD book.
Kl 15.00 - 16.20 Lunch. freeze-dried food, crisp-bread, chocolate. fruit-cake, water.
Kl 16.20 - 18-05 Rowed, listened to cassettes.
Kl 18.05 - 18.45 Juice and snacks, flap-jack and Maxim energy-bar. Filled out Pfizer's psychology questionnaire, sang.
Kl 18.45 - 20.00 Rowed, low sun, warm.
Kl 20.00 - 21.00 Phoned Diana, salt-water shower.
KL 21.00 - 22.00 Rowed. Tired, shoulder hurt a bit.
Kl 22.00 - 23.00 Dinner. freeze-dried food. Wrote up the log, there was a smell of sea-weed (plankton?)
Kl 23.00 Read a little, fell asleep after 2 lines. Checked the course twice during the night.
Kl 3.58 Alarm from the radar-detector. Ship passing south, at a safe distance.
KL 7.00 Alarm-clock.
Diana.

Sunday, 3rd. November day 86 less than 500 n.miles to go!
12 GMT pos: N0640 W4951 495 n.miles to Georgetown. 39 n.miles past 24 hours. Moderate breeze from ESE, moderate sea.
During the afternoon it has blown up again, seems to be ever-changing in this part of the ocean, and there have been squalls with gale-force winds, and high, steep waves. The boat has been surfing sideways in these steep waves, a bit frightening! He has had company for part of the day from a booby-tern which sat on the coach-roof. Lunch was a gourmet mixture of scrambled eggs (amazing that he still has fresh eggs!), tuna-fish, ketchup, alpha-alpha, gherkins, cheese and crisp.bread, followed by tea and fruit-cake. He will celebrate going into the last 500 n.miles by opening the last box of red-wine. Cheers from Stein,
Diana.

Saturday, 2nd. November day 85 Tropical heat
12 GMT pos: N0702 W4912 534 n.miles to Georgetown. Light breeze from E. Later he was becalmed and the temperature was 34 dagress! Otherwise he is now on his chart of the South American coast, only 190 n.miles from the coast of Brazil, so he feels he is getting there! He has washed his bed-clothes thoroughly, with three rinses. He was tired of his bad-smelling bunk, now it is nice and fresh again.
Greetings from Stein and Diana.

Thursday, 1st. November day 84 Rain
12.36 GMT pos: N0745 W4859 He has chosen a new way-point further south, at N05 W50 and there are 175 n. miles to this point. He has rowed 49 n.miles past 24 hours, 18 nearer Guyana. He was partly forced to make this change, due to a current pushing him south, but he hopes to pick up the west-going current along the coast when he gets further south. It has been a wet day, constant rain-squalls, and he has collected 8 litres of rain-water. Light breeze from east in the morning, went more southerly later, which has made the sea choppier. He opened two packets today, one from Martin, Camilla and Hedda, an energy packet with a basket of dried fruit, and a 3000 n.miles packet from Elisabeth and Hugh with a card, a little book of poems and an onyx power-bracelet, which helped at once! Thanks to all.
Diana.

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