We did it and it was hard!!

We started as a four and ended as a three. In fact the journey can be described as a series of disasters!

* It was the worst weather in the Atlantic for 200yrs, including 2 tropical storms and a hurricane.
* We almost capsized.
* Our rudder broke off the back of the boat.
* Huge waves broke 3 oars.
* Our watermaker stopped working and we lived on rainwater we caught in bowls and buckets for a week.
* Jo got off the boat so we were disqualified.
* January was one great big grey cloud with torrential rain flooding hatches and damaging food. We lived on 3 dehyrdated meals and a square of chocolate whilst rowing 16hrs a day!
* And finally....WE WERE ATTACKED BY A SHARK!!

We made it across alive, out of 26 boats 19 capsized and 6 didn't come back up again. Nobody died.

Wow what a journey. I'll blog the diary entries of our journey so you can read all about our exploits.

Thanks for following,

Kipper xx

We´re Off!

Ok now I´m scared! We´re off tomorrow morning at 11am and I have to say I´m a tad nervous.

But hey it´s going to be fun...right!

Much love to all our supporters, our family and friends, to all who are waiting for their own loved ones to get to the other side.

Maybe I´ll be able to update the blog whilst I´m out there, I´m on the case. If not check out the dispatches on the official Rowgirls site...

www.rowgirls.com

Signing off and heading off

Kipper x

Cool or What!

Taking part in the first Gomera Cup, a 5 mile sprint just off the island. Sue and Sally are rowing, Jo´s on the bow and Claire is steering in the stern.

Tropical Storm Delta has it´s Wicked Way!

The race has been postponed and if we´re weren´t nervous enough we now have to wait three more days before we can leave. I don´t mind really especially when this was heading our way!....

(We´re the 21 on the right hand side)

Obviously being an experienced ocean rower I could have made the best of the conditions, surfed down the waves, made miles on the other teams but some of the bigger lads in the race decided it would scare them just a little bit too much; so we´ve had to hold up here until the calmer weather comes. And this is what´s predicted for Wednesday...

Claire´os, Sue´os, Jo´os and I(´os) are pooterling around Gomera with the other teams, carb loading up at the local pizzeria. Never let it be said that the Rowgirls miss an opportunity to add to their ever growing fat reserves (although we are slightly anxious that the predicted winds are pretty fast, so we could make a really quick time across the ocean. It may not give us enough time to lose the extra added fat. It´s time at sea that ensures the Ocean Rowing Diet works!)

So aside from a quick 5 mile sprint out to sea yesterday we´ve been coiled like a Slinky ready to head off down a staircase. The kinetic energy is mounting!

Will definately try to get another blog in before we go, but check out some photos on www.flickr.com/photos/rowgirls .

Oh and by the way I got James Cracknell in our cabin! But that´s another story (possibly to sell to the Sun!)

Byeee

Kiss & Tell Kipper

Luminescent White Bits!

My Mother would be proud, my luminescent white legs are out in a lovely pair of shorts and getting slightly less white by the day. Yippeee it´s scorchio in Gomera and we´re loving it! The boat is here safe and sound, we´re booked into a little apartmentos and my spanish is coming on a treat. I´m adding "os" to the end of every word and it seems to be working!

It´s taken the last week to finish tinkering, we´ve only got the oar stantions left to add but otherwise Shelterbox is fit to rock and roll. The watermaker is fantastic, Farley the Elephant is strapped on (I think you can see him in the photos from the last trip...visit www.flickr/photos/rowgirls) and the fluffly pink seats are the envy of the race.

As you can imagine the other teams are all fit and ready to go and we´ve been carefully drilling holes in the bottom of their boats. The Guernsey Milkers collared me for calling them the Guernsey Milkers (I blamed it on the boyfriend, I said he´d coined the phrase, which is kind of true!)

To give you a bit of a picture there are 26 boats so plenty of us around. I´m sure our combined drinking habits keeps the Blue Marlin in business for the rest of the year! It´s party night every night, then down to the pontoons to drill and screw. I´m exhausted!

Blog Prob

I did promise I´d write my blog whilst I´m away, but Houston we´re having a problem! We can´t get emails out from the boat at the moment so my meanderings will be limited to the daily dispatches which is slightly unfortunate, but hey what can you do?

Red in all the wrong places,

Kipper! x