Fizz & Photo Friday
Yesterday was no exception with a media event at Rutland Water with my friend and ocean rowing Guru Roz Savage, followed by a quick whizz down to Oxford for the Champagne Opening of a photo exhibit about my row and the preparations at Greens Cafe, St Giles. Big thanks to everyone for coming along and especially to Marcelo and Fabiana for being such lovely, bubbly and truly Brazillian hosts. We had a great evening and a full house, so it was a success all round. Photos to follow shortly - but if you’re ever in Oxford then do go along to Greens as it is a very chilled out place for coffee or lunch etc, and there’s lots of organic goodies too (Make mine a chocolate orange brownie, please…) I hope you enjoy the photos too - a prologue to the Ocean exhibit which we hope to put up after the row next year - blisters, dolphins, waves and all those ocean things.

Calorie counting
Well, of a sort. Anyone who knows me well will know that I am officially ‘fattening up for the ocean’ and packing in the calories at the moment. With two sessions a day of phsyical training I need to refuel constantly. I had my first outing to the Nutritionist this week and I am pleased to report that I am allowed to eat as many Mars bars as I like on the ocean. At least that’s how I like to interpret Naomi’s comment! I have just teamed up with Naomi Beinart and Gwen Warren - two expert nutritionists from NaturalBalance Food’s ‘Team Trek’ Team, who are providing me with tasty goodies for my trip. They will work together to get me where I need to be in terms of weight and help me work out exactly what will be in the Pantry for my 100 days at sea. Lots of Mars bars, it seems?!

‘Dippers
Pleased to report that my wonderful Serendipity (Dippers for short) is doing very well indeed. I am currently getting two sessions a week in her and planning the first sea trials for the first week in December - fingers crossed for some good weather!

More news and photos to follow soon - meanwhile, stay happy folks!

Pictures to follow, and some exciting news….

Biojoule are an Oxford-based company who specialise in sustainable woodchip fuel - both production and retail. As keen supporters of rowing they have kindly come on board as a financial sponsor of the project, with director Mike Mason giving me some useful insider knowledge to Mauritius, too.

I now have a beautiful Ash rowing machine in our greenhouse at home, where I am lulled into a trance by the sloshing of water as I paddle away on it. WaterRower UK have donated this to the project and I will auction it off after my training…so watch this space! It is easily the most comfortable rowing machine I have ever rowed and certainly the most stylish, too. A lovely piece of kit.

The wonderful folk at Expedition Medicine have been very helpful in devising a bespoke training package for my trip, which aims to leave me self sufficient in all things medical. I will be taught how to stitch and staple myself back together, all about the drugs I will need to take on board and all the ways in which my skin might blister, boil and bake. Lovely stuff.Very glad to have such a willing and expert team on board. Thankfully, in the event of a medical conundrum I will also be able to whizz them up on the Satphone for some advice.

I think a note on the name is needed as I don’t think I’ve properly introduced her yet. She is Serendipity - a bit of wordplay on my name; a word beautiful in itself and with a lovely, exciting meaning. I believe various serendipitous things have happened to me over the last few years and hope they continue to in the future too - definitely makes life brighter. For those of you still trying to get your head round this slight tongue-twister of the word or perhaps are googling it - it means happening upon something wonderful or lovely or good when you were looking for something completely different. In a way - something good comes from everything.

So, to use a phrase I love - happy days indeed…

More news to follow on current happenings and future plans - various sponsor announcements, some tales of astro-navigation and meteorology lessons and more. Until next time. S

Pictures and more tales to follow soon…

So, the arrival of the Tenth Month means that it’s not many more until me & she set forth from Australia for our adventure. While very excited about this prospect there is also that sense of ‘blimey, let’s find me a big sponsor quickly’. In a bid to take my mind off such matters I have just embarked upon the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean theory course - kindly sponsored by Tiller. So, if you’re looking for something to do on these nights which are drawing in so darkly, then how about a bit of astro-navigation? All good fun. It’s really just to reinforce what I already know and sharpen up a few bits of theory.

Now that the above mentioned-darkly-drawing nights are indeed drawing in, I will also be looking to ramp up my time spent in the gym so am very grateful for the support of Oakham-based Fitness Fanatics for their kind sponsorship of membership.

The question everyone is dying to know and that I am desperate to satisfy is ‘when will you get out on the water for the first time?’ All I can say is watch this space… we are so close I can almost smell it. Well, not quite but hopefully next week we’ll be waterborne.

She made quite an impression with the young folk at St Michael’s last night - lots of questions and interested forays into the cabins as well as one helpful comment to my question about ‘what sort of things will help me get to Mauritius quicker?’ Yes, you guessed it: an engine. Worry ye not though folks - this is still a rowing mission. I don’t care if an 11 year old would get there faster than me anyway! Biceps are the way forward. Absolutely.

It was a very happy day indeed - I grinned all the way back home and was chuffed to stop in Oxford to show her off to the girls at Teddies and friends and colleagues. What made the day super special, too, was that Phil Morrison (Designer) and Pete Litton (The Sparky) and another boatbuilder Laurie came over to help get her ready for the drive home and see us off. Now they may have been happy to see the back of us, but there was a real sense that everyone loves her. Thanks also to Snipe Trailers for their generous discount on the trailer.

A few things to do before I take her out for her first swimming lesson, but meanwhile I am being a very proud mother - she is a real beauty. I may be biased though so you’ll just have to come and see her for yourself -details to follow.

I’ve just returned from a rather special and mammoth road trip… more on that tomorrow when you will find out #2 of the 3 good things which have made for happy days recently.