Stein HOFF: News from the route

STEIN HOFF: news from the route

Thursday, 31st. October day 83 More southerly.
12 GMT pos: N0843 W4848 567 n.miles to Georgetown, 38 n.miles past 24 hours. I got this report from Stein while at a party where I stayed the night. After the hosts' efficient clearing up, the paper with the report had disappeared. I think the position is correct. He has decided to go a bit more southerly to try to catch the current that goes along the coast og South America, and to ensure that he doesn't end up in Venuzuela! He has otherwise had a good day with an easterly breeze and moderate seas.
His mother and I have booked up flights to Guyana on the 15th. November, so we can now really look forward to welcoming him back onto terra firma.
Diana.

Wednesday, 30th.October day 82 Fair weather.
12 GMT pos: N0904 W4814 605 n.miles to Georgetown, 26 n.miles past 24 hours. Barely a breeze from SE, calm sea, sunshine, 30 degrees, 28.5 dgrees in the water, the warmest yet. It feels tremendously hot, and he has been happy with the few showers to cool down in. There were a few of these this morning with rainbows. There is about half a knot counter-current, so it has not gone very fast, but it has been pleasant. Last night was clear with lots og stars and some shooting-stars. Still lots of fish, he saw two dorados chasing a school of smaller fish, and one of them crashed right into the hull. It shook itself and swam off again, but must have had some headache! .
These dorados are mainly blue, but change to blue/yellow when they are hunting. He has listened to the history of opera for the fourth time, and sung a bit today, not opera but folk.songs. He gets in NRK (Norwegian radio) at mid-night and BBC in the mornings, so is orienteted on all the madness of the world. He ate the last onion today, amazing that they stayed good for so long.
He is still enjoying himself as he goes into the last lap.
Diana.

Tuesday, 29th.October day 81 Becalmed!
This is short today, as I forgot to send the report before I switched off the PC, and I managed to lose it! He has gone 35 n.miles since yesterday, after a light easterly breeze in the morning, it has been calm in the afternoon. It has been beautiful, lots of fish to be seen, the batteries are charged, water made, and he has dried out some of the lockers under deck. He has also scrubbed the hull, although there was not much growth. The faithful pilot-fish is still keeping him company and has now been joined by 5 small cat-fish.
Diana.

Monday, 28th.October day 80 Alone and forgotten?
12 GMT pos: N0914 W4714 666 n.miles to Georgetown, 27 n.miles past 24 hours. Fresh breeze from NE, rough sea, counter-current, 27 degrees.
He slept better last night, much less movement than the night before, read some more of Martin Luther King's biography. It is taking a long time to get through, as he reads in bed with a light on his forehead, and is usually very tired, so it is not long before he drops off.
He had to laugh when I told him that he was presented in Aftenposten (Norway's main newspaper) as alone and forgotten. He is certainly alone, but feels that a lot of people remember him, but the article was otherwise good. He also had an interview with a journalist from the newspaper in Kristiansand today, so feels even less forgotten.

A lonely greeting from Stein.
Diana.

Sunday, 27th. October day 79 Slowly but surely!
12 GMT pos: N0927 W4649 693 n.miles to Georgetown. 33 n.miles past 24 hours. Fresh breeze from ESE, rough sea, sometimes with a much bigger wave, when two meet from different directions. Difficult to row, he can't quite manage 2 knots because og counter-current. Otherwise there has been a bit more sun, saw the dawn for the first time in over a week, and has listened to Beatles' songs and the history of the BBC. The bread he baked testerday tasted great, and he had more today with mackarel in tomato sauce, cheese, pickled gherkins and alpha-alpha sprouts. He was interviewed by the radio in his home-town Sandefjord this morning.
He is getting there, slowly but surely. He sends greetings.
Diana.

Saturday, 26th.October day 78 Another world
12 GMT pos: N0932 W4615 727 n.miles to Georgetown, 40 n.miles past 24 hours. Conditions were still rough last night and he had to get up at 1 a.m. to bail water out of the cock-pit. But today has been like another world! Light-moderate breeze from E, some sun-shine, warm again and moderate sea. He has rinsed wet clothes, baked bread, eaten rice with onions, egg, feda cheese and salmon paste, and is quite content again.
Diana

Friday, 25th.October day 77 Near encounter with a whale.
1250 GMT pos: N0943 W4536 767 n.miles to Georgetown, 26 n.miles past 24 hours. The weather has been absolutely miserable, violent squalls and strong winds, at times quite impossible to row. The squalls have been much longer than before, about an hour at a time, and there has been constant rain in-between. The sea is steely-grey, apart form a little greenish tinge at the top of the waves when they break, and there is a current against him, about one knot. When the rain is at its heaviest it flattens the sea. It has even felt cold today, and for the first time I have heard him admit that he is looking forward to getting to Guyana!
However, he has had an exciting encounter with a large pilot-whale, about 4-5 metres long. It chased around the boat as if it was in pursuit of something, slapped its tail on the surface, making Stein a bit nervous. Then he lay under the boat and whistled (maybe it fancied the shapely hull!) and Stein became even more nervous. He hit the gunnels to frighten the whale off and this worked - he soom disappeared.
Last night he had a toast for Andreas Hall Torgersen whose birthday it was, and for United Nations day. He has talked to a journalist from the main Norwegian newspaper today, so we shall see what comes of that.
He also sends his heartiest congratulations and admiration to Emmanuel who has just reached France after 87 tough days in the north Atlantic - what a hero!
I also send my congratulations, that is the really hard way to row across the Atlantic. Bravo, Emmanuel!
Diana.

Thursday, 24th.October day 76 Strange little creature
12 GMT pos: N0948 W4510 793 n.miles to Georgetown. 44 n.miles past 24 hours, even though he has been pushed a little north. Breeze form SE, moderate sea, by that he means waves of about 2 metres. During the night, lots of rolling, squalls and some lightening. The moon came out occasionally. It became nice during the morning, but later it has been cloudy with lots of rain.
He has had som interesting natural observations today. Occasionally he has seen what he thought was an insect crawling on the surface of the water. Today he found one on the deck. It had a body the size og a matchstick head, two long legs on each side and two pairs of short ones near the head. On closer inspection it seems to be a small cray-fish like animal. Then there has been a large flock of dolphins, 20-25 animals, swimming beside him for about an hour. They played around the hull and swam in formations, like a ballet show. There was an albino among them, very pale grey colour with a red tinge, and another who was breast-feeding two babies right beside the boat!
Greetings from Stein.
-and Diana

Wednesday, 23rd.October day 75 New record!
12 GMT pos: N0934 W4420 839 n. miles to Georgetown. 56 n. miles past 24 hours - a new record!
Gale from east, lots of squalls, some with storm-force winds, 4-5 metre waves, all a bit frightening. The boat is jumping and hopping westwards!
He has rowed with a safety-line on today, although he really feels quite safe, as the boat seems to be sea-worthy and rides the waves very well. He slept very little during the night, had to hold on to stop rolling around in the violent movements. He didn't have his usual row before dawn, first time in a long time, but the weather did not tempt him to get out of his bunk. It has eased a bit throughout the day, lots of dark clouds behind him now, the wind has gone a bit more southerly.
One pilot-whale sighted today, also two of the bill-fish like the one he saw on deck the other day, flying through the air after each other for several metres, just like flying- fish.
He has now taken a lot of good pictures, pity the PC is not working, but he will put them on the web-site as soon as he gets to land.
Otherwise he reports that it was a good party last night, opened the third last carton of wine, lighted a small candle and opened his presents. He particularly appreciated a box of asparagus from his mother, which he ate with his cod-stew, tasted wonderful! Then he read the "Playboy" magazine from me (not that there is much to play with in the middle of the Atlantic!) and ate some chocolate from Rigmor. He listened to a CD from me called "Sad as Hell" by Ari Behn (newly married to the Norwegian princess), which he really enjoyed.
Diana.

Tuesday, 22nd.October day 74 Three-quarters way!
12 GMT pos: N0935 W4320 653 n. miles to way-point 4, that is 897 to Georgetown. 18 n. miles past 24 hours. Three-quarters of the way today, and over 2500 n.miles yesterday. Moderate E breeze at 12GMT and during the afternoon. Yesterday was a very heavy-going day, only 2 n.miles nearer his goal when he went to bed than when he got up, but there was a change during the night, and since then both wind and current have been with him again. He rowed 20 n.miles in 7 hours after lunch, the fastest few hours of the trip so far. He really feels in a good mood when it is going so well. The boat has also become gradually lighter which makes it go a bit faster.
Otherwise he has adjusted the wheels on the seat, which he changed a few days ago, and has had a shave in preparation for the three-quarters way party, which he will be having this evening with himself as the main guest! He opened a packet from Elisabeth yesterday, with a new CD book (thanks Elisabeth!), and has packets from me,. his mother and a friend to open today. So he will have a glass of red wine, light a candle and enjoy opening the pressies.
He sends a contented greeting.
Diana.

Monday, 21st.October day 73 Sore rear-end!
12 GMT pos: N0948 W4304 681 to waypoint 4. 28 n.miles past 24 hours. Light breeze from S, north-going current. Again it has not been easy to make fast progress, the wind has varied, and he has been lying on the sea-anchor for 3 hours during the afternoon. He was pushed one n.mile in the wrong direction during this time, last night he used an hour and a quarter to row one mile, and as he gives this report he is being pushed north at one knot! He has otherwise got a sore rear-end, thanks to a crop of small pimples, probably due to the damp weather with lots of rain the past few days. On the brighter side, the hull is still nice and clean, thanks to the faithful remora who seems to suck up the growth. There are now schools of big dorados in the sea, they look better from the boat, with their blue and yellow colours shimmering in the sun, than they do from the deep. He had scrambled eggs for lunch. The last 5-6 eggs from under the deck had to be thrown out, but the ones in the last box in the cabin are fine, probably a bit less hot there. He ate them with tuna-fish, ketchup and crisp-bread, tasted good, and with more of Martin Luther King's biography, life is not bad!
Diana.