New Website opened for Atlantic Crossing news

We have just received notice that to follow our progress online for the epic Atlantic Rowing Challenge in the Allum Cup, there is a direct link.
It's www.woodvale-works.com
There are some news photos on there that show the boat being prepared in case anyone out there is interested to see what she looks like.

L2P2L Open Day presentation still goes ahead

Don't forget that there is an open day planned for March 3rd 2011 at the Royal Canoe Club in Teddington, Surrey.

This will be a VERY informative day for all concerned.  There will be advice on sponsorship and how to raise the money needed to make your trip come true.  Not many people can afford to pay the full amount needed up front - so you are not alone here!  There will be people there to advise on how it can be done.  Many people - including me - have afforded the trip through obtaining the right levels of sponsorship.  Doubtless you will have to find some money yourself - and some time off work.  It's your dream.  SO MAKE IT HAPPEN!!

We are planning to feed everyone that turns up, so if you haven't told me that you are coming yet, please do so asap - or you may have to watch the rest of us eat!

You can also have a row in either Tiger, or A. N. Other Cornish Pilot gig on the day.  We plan to have two boats there so you can test yourselves against each other - or simply try out the Gig to see if you are suited to it or not.  No pressure.

Here's our new Team Jacket with the new logo on it.  The new logo will also appear on your team 'T' shirts.  We are currently having the wording  'ROWING CHALLENGE' added under the rowing boat shown.  Personally, I think that leaving it out allows conversation to be struck up.  People look at the logo and ask.  "What's that all about then"?  Then you can tell them - and ask for sponsorship!  Neat idea, eh?

(Sorry about the fat, bald bloke in the jacket - but he gets into most pictures.  He's the only model we have!!)

If you have recruited some team members already or have people nibbling around the edges wondering whether to commit, why not take this as the ideal time to sit in a boat alongside them?  Travel down together.

Tell anyone that might be remotely interested to come along.  There will be a presentation from Jock Wishart - a veteran explorer and extreme events enthusiast on the former London to Paris Rowing events that is a joy to see.  He will also be on hand with other former rowers, to 'tell it like it is' and give you the answers you're looking for.

Merry Christmas one and all!!

Richard Bain is working SO hard on L2LvP !!

Richard deserves a great deal of thanks as he is working SO hard behind the scenes on the organisation for our event.  He's not only put together the Crisis Management Document in conjunction with the MCA and WoodVale Challenge Ltd, (the company that organises the Ocean Rowing Races) http://woodvale-challenge.com but has also been working tirelessly to come up with variations on our logo's and advertising documents.

What do you think of this then?  Let me know your thoughts.  It is our intent to put this on our merchandising - such as polo shirts, caps, sweatshirts, fleeces and advertisements.

We have been bashing documents back and forward between us at the rate of ninety to the dozen all week!  All this and he's holding down an important job outside of L2LvP too.

The latest thing we have to overcome is the fact that the authorities in England and France have produced some interesting reading regarding crossing the Channel at the Dover Straights.  If you are interested, go to this link. 

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-hmcg_rescue/channel_navigation_information_service__cnis_/dops_-_all-sar_cnis_unorthodox_crossings.htm

There is an interesting viewpoint in there from Mike Oram at Dover Sea School too.  For those that don't know, Mike is considered THE leading authority on accompanying cross Channel swims, rows and other crossings and worked tirelessly with Jock Wishart (formerly the organiser for these London to Paris events) to make sure they ran smoothly.

The main issues raised by the French - who want to openly ban any and all crossings of swims, and small vessels of any kind in case there is an accident, is challenged by Mike who likens it to our government banning anything other than 42 ton lorries from using the M25 in case they hit something smaller than them!  A pretty accurate analogy I feel.  There would be uproar!  

The regulations point out in general that providing anyone organising an event has planned and co-operated with the authorities on both sides of the water and can provide suitable action plans that have been carefully thought out and have advised the French in particular, of their intentions in advance, then there should be no problem - providing the escort vessels comply with the relevant regulations and advice for avoiding collisions at sea.

In this day and age, all commercial vessels carry an item of kit that tells everyone around them who they are, what speed and course they are following and what they are doing.  These devices talk to each other too in one way or another and allow crews to take avoiding actions wherever they can.  As the MCA document does point out though, the large container and commercial vessels using the Channel can take a LONG time to avoid, slow down or stop in cases of conflicting manoeuvres with smaller craft.  

All of our Safety and Support vessels carry these warning devices and are capable of towing our rowing boats out of harms way in case of dire emergency - other than that, the gigs are made for pulling at sea at speeds that have beaten lifeboats to the scenes of some serious shipwrecks in the past.  That's why we have gone for them in the first place.  They are designed for the job in hand - unlike the formerly utilised Thames Waterman's Cutters.


I'm off to the gym now - if I can battle through the snow, to get some of my own training in for the Atlantic record attempt that is rapidly drawing closer!! 

Atlantic late crew changes - we have females on board!

Good news tonight.
We were supposed to be holding a training row over the next two days from the river Hamble to the Isle of Wight and back. However, the weather doing what it is (freezing rain and high winds), the brave chaps at WoodVale dare not take the boat on a trailer from her resting place in Totnes for fear of damaging her. So, the row will be at Totnes instead. Trouble is, I can't get there because of that same weather between me and there!
However, there has been another twist in the tail. The all female crew of Oyster Shack, due to leave at the same time as our crew, have lost another team member and cannot go to sea. We have taken five of them on board our boat instead, so we will have a total of 15 on board! One good thing is that it means we will be able to spread the rowing out between more people and get a little more rest.
The women will also bring another dimension to the all male team environment. I look forward to the challenge more than ever now.
Don't forget to follow us at www.woodvale-challenge.com We can be found under the link to the Allum Cup 2011.

Happy Christmas one and all!!

Back from Ocean Training and more applicants flood in...

That was a fun way to spend eight days of training!  My brain ached after the celestial navigation.  As Ian Dury used to say in one of his songs.  "There ain't half been some clever bast***s"!  Someone, way back in history, decided how to work out the positions of the stars, planets in relation to our position on the earth!  THEN, they had the wherewithal to compile several tables that enable us (with proper direction) to look up our position according to which day of the year it is!  Took me all week just to get the hang of their tables and conversion tables, let alone finding my position and plotting it on a chart.  Anyhow, I managed it in the end and am back to tell the tale.


We have had several more applicants send in to me this week.  Some are still asking about using their own gigs.  The answer to this still has to be 'No'.  We have had to prepare a case to put forward to the MCA (Coastguard) to enable us to get our gigs Coded so that the French cannot refuse us permission to enter or leave their waters.  The precise lay-up of the GRP used, and dynamics of our gigs means that they are very specific about which boats can and cannot make the trip.  WE have to place certain items of safety equipment on board and have the design of the boats scrutinsed by the MCA so that they come up to scratch.  Only then can we use them.
If anyone did want to use their own gigs, we'd have to insist that they have them coded too, to the same standard as ours have reached so that we have a fair playing field for all applicants.  I can see that having a super slick wooden gig, or maybe even one similar to our carbon fibre one off gig, Tiger would have a real advantage over all others, so we have to ask that you stay with us, and agree to use our gigs only.  The price is going to be negligible anyway by the time you try and get yours coded and buy all of the safety kit that we will be providing for ours!


Taking part in this venture is for some, expensive.  You just have to realise that as a fact.  We will be running an event every year from 2012 onwards, so, if you want to take part, please start saving and fund raising now.


We still have some places left for our presentation in March if you get your names in soon.


Keep smiling! 

Ocean Training is SUCH fun!

Here I am at KTY Training on the River Hamble near Southampton being trained on the hoof to get all of my Ocean qualifications that will allow me to take part in the record breaking Atlantic Ocean Rowing Record in January 2011. It stands at 33 days at the moment and we are hoping to complete it in less than that - hopefully by three days!

Day One was an introduction to the VHF short range radio. Now, I have to say that I have been using one for years and never realised I needed to do a course or have a license to operate it. It seems to work fine without one. :-). However, I was impressed with the depth and usefulness of this course. It was very good and made me understand a lot more about our Coastal and local radio arrangements.

Day Two saw us completing Ocean Safety with letting off flares and performing lifeboat drills in a local pool. Fantastic fun and we all learned so much under brilliant instruction.

Day Three is all about Sea First Aid. I think that even with my fairly extensive knowledge of First Aid gained over SO many years experience and practice, I still learned lots of useful tips and hints.

Tomorrow sees us starting five days of Ocean Yachtmasters on land training. This is a minimum qualification that the Spanish authorities are looking for in all Ocean Rowers before they sign off against the start of any organised Ocean Rowing event.

Let's see what the first day holds in store. Apparently there are lots of mental maths to perform and we have been told to bring our calculators with us! Sounds like I'll need to make my shoes and socks off to use my toes as counters. All about lats. longs. Degrees, Minutes and Seconds. Whatever that means!! He said, laughing. (I know really).