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We are going to Barbados tomorrow to welcome them in possibly on Sunday and they both apparently have a craving for chocolate! Whether this is something to do with the mental states that ocean rowers seem to get, I dont know, but -

Alan rang last night about midnight and what he said about the weather above the sound of howling wind and waves crashing on the deck made me quite worried until he got to the point of the call!

Matt and myself want you to specifically bring out -

4 large bags of Cadburys mini eggs

A box of Cadburys flake bars

4 large Cadburys Dairy Milk bars

4 large Cadburys Fruit and Nut bars

2 toblerone

So there!!!

Well we are less than 400 nautical miles to Barbados, despite our endless
bad luck! Yesterday we experienced 2 hours of torrential rain and shivered
in our T-Shirts as we rowed. The finishing line is now a more realistic
thought and I have to stop myself from getting too carried away, after all
this time. We both didn't expect the crossing to take this long. Although I
knew it would be a difficult crossing, it's been surprising as to how long
it's actually taken.
In the last 24 hours we've seen a number of flying fish, a turtle, the odd
oil drum and birds. Maybe I'm imagining this, but I sense that land is over
the horizon and our epic challenge near to completion. I've been really
fortunate to have found my team-mate Matt. Someone brave enough,
experienced and able to do another Atlantic crossing. We've really managed
to get along. Although, I do know that he needs a good mug of coffee in the
morning and dislikes my snoring. I think Matt reckons I'm continually
hungry, always scrounging around for meal leftovers. Either way, we started
the row together and will finish the journey undeterred, as to what ever
the weather can throw at us.
Thanks to you all for your continued optimism, hearty messages and
interest!

Looks like its definitely Barbados! Beacon tracking battery has  expired, 

but replacement should be operating shortly to update our position.

 Question: What will you do with Gemini when the row has finished?
Ceremonial burning, or a place of honour in a shed at the bottom of the
garden?

A: Ergh, that's a good question. Sadly, I suspect we will have to sell the
boat to recover some of the money invested.

Question: When Ben Fogle rowed the Atlantic a while back, he said that much
of the rowing had been done in the nude because this was more comfortable,
as the salt build up on their clothing led to chafing.  Have you adopted
this tactic or has garment technology advanced now so that this is not a
problem for you?

A: Because we are consistently getting drenched on-deck and both suffer
from Salt sores, I tend to only wear a T-Shirt. As you can imagine this
eliminates the threat of chaffing and tan lines!

Question: I am a sea enthusiast myself but would never dare such a
challenge.  Before you engaged on this, did you train yourself rowing in
high seas with waves of the altitude you have experienced on the ocean?
Did you know what it was like before?  Were there any moments when you
thought you were in deep trouble?

A: Well Matt's experienced an Atlantic Crossing before and I've been at Sea
with the Royal Navy, but this crossing is fairly unique. Rowing in small
boat against poor weather (heavy seas, high winds), through busy shipping
lanes and against strong currents is not for the faint-hearted. Prior to
the crossing we lived aboard Gemini for a week-end to test the equipment
and in the Canary Islands, we tested the boat in the Atlantic for the first
time, prior to the start.

Question: Have you seen any Flying Fish yet?

A: Loads of them! One landed on-deck this morning, flapped around for a
bit, before being returned to the Atlantic. We also saw a Turtle yesterday
and a large Dorado, which was hunting the smaller fish.

Question: During those times you have no visibility to other vessels, can
you describe the feeling one has being in the middle of the ocean with only
nature surrounding yourselves?  I would think it to be a humbling
experience in some regard.

A: Yes it's a pretty cool experience when the weather is calm, you feel
quite humble in such an expanse of water. I like to supplement these rare
occasions with a good cup of tea!

What is the first thing you will do when you get to Barbados?

A: Beer, shower and put on some clean clothes (in no particular order!). I
suspect that I will be quite hungry, wish to eat fresh food and steer well
clear of packet food for a while.

Why did you choose to support Sense? Are you a volunteer with that charity?

A: I've always wanted to do this challenge and thought it worthwhile to
participate with a charity, by raising sponsorship. Matt's sister-in-law
works for SENSE and as I carry an eye injury, I recognise the valuable work
they achieve everyday.

Have you thought of your next fundraising adventure? Would you consider
embarking on another rowing expedition?

A: I think I'll be taking a break from challenges for a short time, as will
be trying to recover from this!

27th March
Leaping Fish
Yesterday, following our daily call over the satellite phone, we were hit
by a massive wave. It drenched the whole boat and wiped out our breakfast
(which was cooking on the stove at the time). Fortunately though, our
make-shift cover has, more or less, saved the cooker. The high winds
continued throughout the day, which created a good sea swell and a lesson
in surfing. One moment we were both rowing with the wave, rose to the peak
of the swell, then for 20 seconds or so, surfed on the downward swell.
Although this can be quite exhilarating, it raises the threat of a roll,
should we not steer and control our direction.
Later in the day we saw a turtle and a Dorado. We suspect the Dorado was in
the midst of chasing a school of fish and leaping out of the water to
attack from above. These type of events, help break-up the routine of
rowing and constant poor weather! We even received a text yesterday, saying
that it's not long now until the end. How we will miss the beautiful
sunsets, open skies, calm seas and light winds. Sadly though, we have seen
little of this, but we can but hope that these will appear over the next
fortnight!

It looks to be Barbados.
It's currently blowing 25-30 knots and conditions are quite bad, probably
the worst sea conditions we've experienced so far. I think we must have
nearly capsized last night and twice already this morning. As you would
expect, everything is wet and getting into a warm / dry sleeping bag at
night is far from reality. I reckon we must have rowed under a few ladders
in our time. However, we are over half-way and closer to the finish line
than ever before. For those tracking our daily progress, you'll note that
we are quite South, and will now be heading for Barbados rather than
Antigua. Although this is a slight change of plan, this will not jeopardise
the challenge for officially rowing the Atlantic and other crews have
suffered this fate before (e.g. a four man British & Irish crew called -
'La Mondiale', who rowed across in 2007).
Still our progress over the last few days was good, and we are tentatively
starting to think of finishing. It's been a hard slog so far, we are now
purely reliant on will power, good wishes and fortune!

Well it's slightly overcast today and the wind is continuing to blow from
the troublesome North-East. We are both feeling quite sore, especially in
the areas we tend to sit on quite alot (I think you can guess!) It feels as
though any fatty deposits have been slowly eroded away, leaving behind
bruised skin and bone. Such discomfort really requires a high degree of
motivation, to sit on the sheepskin lined seat, each morning. I think our
daily routine is pretty much fixed now, as the days are all the same, with
no week-ends on this boat!
As you may have read, Matt has rowed the Atlantic before, and in doing so,
broke the record for the smallest craft, ever to be rowed across. Whilst I
have been pretty hacked-off with the weather, I feel that Matt's experience
provides him with a discipline and greater understanding on the conditions,
which is of significant value. I know he is really looking forward to
seeing his wife and young children, whilst I continue to witter on about
missing food. Still, we both realise that we are on the downhill leg now,
and Barbados has recently appeared on our GPS navigation system. Although,
it is comforting to note that land is registered, there remains a number of
miles yet to row and the problems this can pose.
**All of the messages left on the sponsorship websites are really pushing
us forward to the finish and we both send our heartfelt thanks to you
all.**

Under 1,000 nautical miles to go, according to our charts! I hope we can
keep the progress up as we have 'officially' run out of hot chocolate.
Normally am not really a fan, but was really getting a taste for it.
Although we do have sufficient  freeze dried food left, like Chicken Korma.
I think I had that for lunch the other day, cold, with only a splash of
water. Afterwards it left my mouth feeling very dry, and the taste was
pretty grim, to say the least.
My beard continues to grow, and is very itchy, as I haven't shaved for more
days than I care to remember. The days of sea-sickness are well behind me,
as this is the longest time I have ever been away at sea. Considering the
cramped conditions we are living in, we are bearing up. Although the lack of
complete exercise has impacted on my calf muscles. I normally enjoy running
competitions (e.g.marathons, running up/down the 42 flights of stairs at
work!) which keeps me in good shape. However, life onboard is restrictive;
my calves have reduced in size and the shin bone, up-front, is clearly
noticeable. However, on the flip-side my thighs, arms, abs and back are
consistently worked until breaking point. We both knew the row would
provide immense physical pressure on our bodies, as we push ourselves each
day, only for the body to rest briefly, before testing it once again. Don't
get me wrong though, I'll still be able to stumble to the bar, once ashore.

I woke-up this morning really hungry, I believe I had been dreaming of
popping down to the Staff canteen for a sausage baguette. Still, reality
soon kicked-in and we started rowing just after sunrise. We then tend to
row for an hour or until our hunger becomes too great and stop for
breakfast. Matt tends to then start the gas cooker and I ring London to
pass on details for our daily blog and catch-up on important news......like
the 6 nations Rugby!
The sun is out today, and we continue to experience better weather as we
head towards the Caribbean. I'm in the final stages of the audiobook, 'the
hunt for the Red October' and occasionally switching on the 'Ricky Gervais'
podcast when we need a bit of a lift. These treats are all the more
important as our rations of Hot Chocolate are running low.
The other day we contacted a solo rower who is about 150 miles ahead of us.
Although we left La Gomera at the same time, Dave Clarke took a more direct
line across the Atlantic, which in Ocean Rowing terms, is slightly
unorthodox. As you maybe aware, we planned to go south from La Gomera
instead and pick-up the trades. Either way, Dave's been battling through
the weather, just as we have, and it was good to discuss with a fellow
rower the joys of life at sea.
If the weather continues to hold, I believe we will be able to send some
more photos by the end of the week. Am now beginning to mentally cross off
the days left at Sea. Very tentatively, I believe we may have around 27
days left, but will wait to see how this plans out! Good bye for now, from
Gemini.

We have had better
weather recently to charge the batteries and be able to send the photos.
You'll note that one of the pictures showed a merchant tanker called
'Paragon', who strayed quite close to us a couple of weeks ago. They were
on their way to Brazil and we couldn't fit the whole of the tanker in the
picture, as they were so close. The other pictures show daily life on
board, as I try to consume porridge and balance my coffee between my knees.
You might also note that we placed a covering of the stove to protect it
from the elements. Without a working stove, life would be that much harder
- which is difficult to believe at times! Yesterday we rowed 54 miles,
which is the furthest we've travelled in any one day. However, our joy is
short-lived as the sea swell is pushing us south. So it's still hard to see
whether we will end-up in Barbados or Antigua. It doesn't really matter, as
both destinations will qualify us as completing an Atlantic row! Thanks for
your continued support, we would like to relay our thanks and gratitude to
you all.

Am just watching Matt prepare the stove for Breakfast. It's always a bit of
a shock to wake-up and find yourself in the middle of an ocean. Then fall
to the realities of life and reluctantly put 'clean' clothes on, for the
day ahead. We crawl out of the hatch and one of the first tasks (dependent
on the conditions) is to get a brew on (boil the water). Some of you will
know that fresh water is continually being made from seawater, through our
desalinator, it certainly makes an interesting taste. The last few days
have provided brighter weather, as the clouds have disappeared, although
the wind remains. In the grand scheme of things we are quite far south and
we seek to go an further and fall outside of the equatorial currents. Our
desire is to project a more easterly heading and should we continue to
travel on a more South-Easterly heading, we will probably end up in
Barbados. My hope is the nearer we get to the Caribbean, the easterlies
will appear and support us in our daily progress. I hope you enjoy the
recent pictures and am really bolstered my your messages. We've gone past
the halfway mark!!

A special hello message to my old school, St. Nicholas Chantry in Clevedon,

Class 4SA Bure Valley school, Eaton Hall School, Ben Brown in Mrs Borehams class,

Noah west in the US, and all the others who have emailed us. 

The weather may still be the same, but we have made progress in more ways
than one. We've looked at the ailing steering system and managed to
re-balance it, so the boat now 'sits' in the water easier. Well it's
difficult to tell, with the sea swell, but it feels better when rowing. I
think we are both more determined than ever to complete the challenge
despite the setbacks, and the good news is (according to our charts) we are
now closer to the Caribbean. So we are half-way across!! I hope you receive
the pictures and are crossing your fingers for an easier second half of the
voyage. Alan + Matt.

Yesterday was psychologically our lowest point. The elements are really
getting to us. We knew the first half of the race would be the toughest,
but given the weather conditions and the actual progress made, this race is
particularly difficult. Even the competitors of the recent Woodvale
Challenge 2007 found the conditions unusual, without the full support of
the equatorial currents and the inclement conditions. 

As you may already realise, once we row past the wind direction,
along with the swell, we run the risk of rolling. Our clothing and
equipment are continually wet, as the spray often falls onto deck and it's
practically impossible to keep things dry. The other day we were motivating
ourselves for the day's rowing ahead by eating a good breakfast, only for a
huge wave to soak us and our porridge. Not a good start to the day. The
cookers remain a critical factor, and we regularly improvise to keep them
dry, which again, is extremely difficult on-deck. We continue to row
together throughout the day, and judging from our progress, are making
steady work. This type of distance, was something that we had hoped to
achieve from early on, and consequently be far further than we actually
are. Nevermind, don't get me wrong, we will complete this challenge, as
we've put so much into getting where we are (nearly half-way). Even if the
only highlight today was the sight of a big shark! Thanks to all for your
continued interest and support in the row, it's great to receive questions
and know people are following us. I've a question for you, if we do end up
in Barbados, is there an HSBC office there?

What type of music are you listening to?
Since both our iPods broke our music choice is now limited to CDs – and we don't have too many of them. So we now listen to CDs while we row and the radio in the evening. Most of the CDs are compilation albums. At present we're listening to the soundtrack of The Blues Brothers.
Our boat has a stereo – similar to a car stereo – with a CD player and radio. In the middle of the Atlantic the radio does not pick up any signals, so we use our short-wave radio which gives access to many English-language speech-based radio stations, such as the BBC World Service, Radio China and Radio Netherlands.
Do you feel homesick? How do you overcome this?
It's natural that we feel homesick – for our friends and family and for the creature comforts we're missing. It's harder for Matt as he has a young family. It's not so bad for me as I spent long spells away from home when I was in the Royal Navy, but that was in much more comfortable conditions!
We overcome it by breaking the day into short periods. For example, a short row before stopping for breakfast, another short row and then a break for a chocolate bar, followed by another short row before stopping for a coffee, and so on throughout the day.
How are you and Matt getting on together living in such a small space?

Inside Gemini's cabin.
We have been getting on well. I guess the only difficulties we've experienced are at night, in our cramped cabin. As the voyage progresses, our injuries deepen, and the boat tends to move about quite a lot at night, so we are often bumping into each other, particularly where we are sore!

Do you ever go for a swim? Is it safe?
We don't swim for leisure because of the risks of being pushed around by the waves and currents – which is very uncomfortable. To ensure we're not pushed away from Gemini, we always wear a safety harness connected to the boat and hang on to the side. It's like swimming on the beach – you make a judgement call as to whether it's safe to go in the sea.
We go in the water every four to five days to scrape marine life off the hull. If we left it, the extra weight would slow us down. We put on a diving mask and use a special scraper that is similar to those used to remove ice from car windscreens.
Gemini's hull was coated with a special paint to stop marine growth, but it does not appear to be working as well as expected. Historically, the paint would have contained strong chemicals, but these are no longer used, as they are unfriendly to the environment.

How do you dispose of your rubbish without harming the environment?
We wash out the pouches containing our food waste and store them on board with other rubbish in a compartment in the bow of the boat. We only put over the side what will biodegrade.
We've been surprised by the amount of rubbish we've seen in the sea – lots of plastic bottles from cooking oil, discarded fishing nets, oil drums and plastic shopping bags.

Your heading is 10-15 degrees south of the shortest straight-line distance. Is this planned?
This is deliberate. To row the shortest distance requires greater power to propel the boat through the prevailing winds and currents in that part of the Atlantic. Our top speed is 2.5 knots, so if the weather is greater than that we'd go backwards. By taking the route we're following – dropping south to pick up the trade winds to travel west – we make the best use of the weather to assist us. This is the same tactic sailing ships have used for thousands of years.
Our route is the recognised and most favoured path for Atlantic rowers as it provides the best rowing conditions without hindering our progress too much.

How are you avoiding blisters on your hands?
As the miles progress, the distance is beginning to take its toll on our bodies. Alongside the blisters, my hands are finding it hard to clench anything early in the morning. I can only explain that it must be similar to arthritis, where the joints are fairly stiff and difficult to flex. So to compensate for this, I have been layering deep heat (an ointment that warms and relaxes the underlying muscle) on my hands.

What time does it get dark? Do you row at night and is there twilight?
Daylight starts to appear at 7.30 am GMT and by 7.30 pm GMT, it's dark. Twilight lasts around 30 minutes. Provided the sea is calm we can row in the dark, even if it's pitch black with no starlight. But when there are large waves we do not row at night, as you cannot see the waves coming and run the risk of being hit by a wave.
Before we started the row, both Matt and I completed four Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualifications. These included the RYA Yacht Master Ocean Theory, which involved learning how to use a sextant for astro navigation (navigating by the stars and the sun). This is our absolute backup, as it requires no power at all. Fortunately, we've not had to use these skills yet – and we hope we won't!

How do you know what the weather will be like? What will you do if a really rough sea is forecast?
We have very limited long-range weather information. Most of our weather forecasts are provided on the telephone by our London control room, who we telephone each day to share news and information. They use the specialist Web site www.passageweather.com, which provides wind and wave forecasts to help sailors with their journey planning.
If it's really rough weather, everything on the deck is secured; we put out our sea anchor, get in our cabin with food and water and just wait for it to pass. From our experience, so far I can tell you it's not much fun being clobbered by the waves and rolling around inside the cabin as the boat rises and falls on the waves. With two of us in the cabin, it's very cramped and you can't stretch your muscles or exercise. In these conditions, you can't cook hot food and without sunlight, the batteries are not being recharged. This is one of the worst aspects of Atlantic rowing.

Do you expect any potentially hostile wildlife?
Hopefully not! The biggest problem we face is inadvertently picking up jellyfish on the blades of our oars (when they are behind us) and flicking them onto the deck. This has happened a couple of times so far.
The biggest – worst-case scenario – risk is a whale becoming too friendly. Ten days ago, we saw some whales at night that were only 15 metres from us. Fortunately, they gave us no trouble. This morning, we saw five or six whales playing around and blowing water through their blowholes – a really impressive sight. We don't know if they knew we were watching, as we weren't rowing at the time, and making no noise.
We've also seen basking sharks and flying fish.

Do you ever regret taking up this challenge?
Well at 4 am this morning, it took some conviction! On a serious point, we knew it would be tough, but definitely worthwhile.

What's the wildlife like in the North Atlantic?
We saw a whale and a sea turtle investigate 'Gemini' yesterday. There have been a number of occasions when we've spotted flying fish and Matt believes he saw a basking shark underneath the boat.

How's the motivation? No coffee, no music, no hot food and then you pull out your best day yet with a 35-mile row. Well done and keep it up. Only another couple of thousand miles left!
Our motivation was boosted the other day when Matt fixed the stereo, that's for sure! I guess it's best to think that each mile rowed is one less...

In a favourable wind, do you ever try and harness it, to get a little more 'help'? Are you following the trade winds?
The wind can be helpful, but it is dependent on the sea state and the wind's direction and strength.
While we do try to maximise the weather conditions, at other times they can work against us. We expect better conditions the further south we travel, before turning west towards Antigua.
How do you keep motivated to row day after day, especially when the scenery does not change?
I think that each mile rowed is one less and I'm closer to Antigua.
I like to break the challenge into manageable steps, which will lead to completing the challenge overall. That's why it's been really tiresome in the last week to lose ground previously achieved.

Do you have a bathroom in the boat and what are you eating?
Onboard we don't have a bathroom and the living conditions are very basic.
We have a solar shower – effectively a metallic bag that can act as a freshwater shower. If fresh water is ever at a premium, we will have to skip the shower!

In full belief that you will finish your journey, what will you do when you step back on land?
Have a beer! It will be good to eat proper food and see my family and friends. I know that Matt has children and will be looking forward to seeing his family again.

What arrangements do you have for seeking assistance in the unthinkable situation of a capsize?
Our first instinct is to prevent a capsize, or a roll. This is achieved by deploying the sea anchor, which positions the boat into the prevailing winds. Gemini was specially designed for ocean rowing and as such is weighted and shaped to roll back to the upright position. The design is similar to the one used for larger RNLI lifeboats, and prevents a permanent capsize. Should we suffer a roll, our safety lines will keep us tethered to the boat and we would utilise a strap (foothold) on the side of the boat to climb back aboard.

Do you have any favourite sing-a-longs to keep you going?
As you know, I have my iPod, which is even more important now that our stereo speakers are now broken. I'm listening to various sorts of music provided by friends and tracks from my own collection. Although, I particularly like Snow Patrol!

How do you store enough drinking water to last for the time you will be at sea?
We don't have to store all our drinking water on board; we make all that we need using a desalinator we have on board, which produce five litres of water an hour. The major constraint is the power needed to run the system, but we have a manual back up too. Basically, we will not run out and given the physical exercise we are doing, we have to make sure we are constantly hydrated.

What do you believe to be your chances in successfully completing the challenge?
Statistically, we have around a 70 per cent chance of success. Those rows that have not succeeded have generally failed because the crew did not wish to complete the voyage and turned back, or due to equipment failure.
Both of us have lived and worked at sea before and since we have put so much effort into preparing our boat for the row we are confident that mentally, we will be OK. In terms of an equipment failure, we have tried to ensure absolute back up for all systems. So unless we are spectacularly unlucky, we should not be critically affected by the loss of a certain system.
While neither of us would be so arrogant as to say we are certain of getting across, we have done all we can to train, prepare and equip for all reasonable eventualities. This, coupled with our previous sea experience, should give us a great chance of success.

Why did you start from the Canary Islands, instead of another location?
The Canary Islands is the preferred departure point for Atlantic rowers as the currents and weather in this region favour crossing the Atlantic. We also want to avoid busy commercial shipping channels and follow a route that is tried and tested.

What about your family? What do they say?

[quite seriously - Alan told us he wanted to walk solo to the North Pole next. We are definitely going to dissuade him! - We cant stand any more strain! - Alans Mum and Dad]
My family were quite shocked when I initially told them. But over the years, they have grown used to my adventures and have been very supportive. I think they wonder what I'll do next!

Do you suffer from sea-sickness and how will you cope?
Yes! Sadly, despite my naval experience, I (as with the majority of sailors) suffer from sea sickness. It is horrible, like a hangover that lasts for 2 to 3 days. However, I also know from my time at sea that it passes and I will find my "sea legs". It is not pleasant, to be sure, but I know what is coming and a combination of sea sickness pills and soothing tunes from my iPod will see me through!

How much is all the kit worth and what kind of construction is the boat?
With everything including food, the kit cost around GBP 30,000. We had some kit ourselves and bought some equipment last year but most crews would expect to spend this much.
As for the type of construction, the boat has been made with an epoxy-foam composite material, which is incredibly strong. She is 30 per cent lighter than her earlier sister ships who were manufactured from plywood and as with ocean-going vessels, she is compartmentalised into watertight sections.

Why did you choose to row the Atlantic?
Having been at sea before I was aware of the immense challenge involved in the preparation, planning and execution of crossing an ocean. This is true enough of a yacht, but the added challenge of propelling yourself solely by human means makes this one of the toughest, but most rewarding goals to aim for.
As well as the actual rowing, the task of getting a boat built, fitted out and shipped to the start, let alone the physical training, make ocean rowing an almost unique combination of mental and physical challenges. However, this volume of effort also makes it extremely rewarding.
Aside from our own challenge we were both keen to support the charity Sense, since it supports those people who face a daily challenge much greater than ours. Hopefully by doing this we can make a significant contribution to the charity and also highlight the fantastic and unique work it does.

What do you expect the weather to be like and what happens if you encounter a big storm?
The weather is going to do what it wants, unfortunately. We are hoping for the prevailing wind and current to take us in the direction we want to go, but they are not constant, so do not be surprised if our progress is erratic at the start. This could delay our departure from La Gomera for a day or so.
During a severe storm, which prevents rowing, we will secure the boat, deploy the sea anchor if necessary and ride it out in the cabin until it calms down. Doubtless we will probably feel quite sea sick too!

How will other ships see you at night?
At night we comply with international regulations by having a bright white light mounted above the forward cabin. Of more importance however is our 'See Me' - a radar transponder that basically shouts a very loud electronic signal to any vessel within radar range, letting them know where we are.
Our route purposely avoids major shipping lanes, so we hope this will never be a problem. Certainly all this equipment has proved successful and safe for other ocean rowers.

How much training did you do?
We were both doing about 70 to 80 kilometres a week on our rowing machines plus weight training two to three times a week. I also completed the Athens marathon back in November 2007 and have been doing some swimming and plenty of stretching too. It's tricky trying to fit in training with work and organising the row, but I am 'lucky' enough to have a Concept2 rowing machine in my flat - parked directly in front of the TV/DVD player!

What will you do if you 'fall out' with your rowing partner?
Hopefully we won't have to find out! No major arguments yet and we are both fairly laid back guys, but if there is any falling out I'm sure some 'me time' with our iPods will allow things to settle down.

What made you start rowing?
I did a little in the Navy about five to six years ago, but ocean rowing is very different to river rowing, since you rarely get a calm surface. The preparation and training for the ocean row has been going on for the last 15 months or so.

What's the record for crossing from La Gomera to Antigua?
The Record for the crossing from La Gomera to Antigua was set by 'All Relative' on 8 January 2006. The team of four relations from Devon, UK, completed the course in 39 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes, 47 seconds. (Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/atlantic-rowing-race)

Well we are nearly half-way across, and what a journey it has been! The
waves are still crashing over the side, the sea state maybe above 5 metres
and the sun still hiding, but we are continuing to make good progress to
Antigua. Well it might even be Barbados at this rate, if the North
Easterlies remain. I reckon my left arm is far bigger than my right, as I
try to keep Gemini on course to Antigua. Matt has recently managed to
revive one of the cookers, which was good news, and we were down to the
last burner. The thought of cold food all the way to the Caribbean, sounded
a nightmare that I could well do without. I'm continuing to miss all sorts
of food and I regularly dream of food (am I turning into Homer Simpson?).
On the other hand, Matt misses his family and we are both keeping a track
on progress made against distance yet to cover. Please feel free to
advertise our external website to friends and family
( www.atlanticrow4sense.com ). Will endeavour to send a picture at the
half-way point, even if it means going without the stereo for a few days!

Distance covered:  1091 miles

We've now had the same weather conditions for the last 12 days. While the
wind is in the right direction, enabling us to now average over 40 miles
each day, the waves remain very high (up to 6 meters) sending spray all
over our boat. Everything we have is wet and it's impossible to dry things
in these conditions.

Yesterday we lost our third cooker due to the high waves. We're now using
our last cooker. Fortunately all our food is designed to be eaten cold if
necessary, but it's not so nice!

Both our iPods are now broken, so our music choice is now limited to CDs. 

Yesterday we saw more dolphins - as sign that we're now in warner water.

We remain in good spirits and relived that we're now making better
progress. All we want is one good day of sun to dry everything out and to
fully recharge our batteries.

Many thanks to everyone who's following our adventure and making online
donations to support our chosen charity.

25 knot winds from a North Easterly direction remain and the sea state is
rough. Despite this, we have made solid progress over recent days, but this
all comes at a price. Am really feeling that the weather conditions are
against us, and this effects us in a number of different ways - morale,
food, sleep, comfort and progress.. For the whole row, I can count only 5
days of favourable conditions. We had hoped that being in the tropics the
weather would improve, and I understand that people rowing solo, who left
at a similar time to us are doing remarkably well. Although we are pleased
for them, in theory, we should be ahead of them, as by going south we
sought to pick-up the prevailing weather conditions. Still life on board
continues, with the daily cycle of rowing shifts, eating, sleeping and
staying dry. Last night it was so cold, we were rowing in our full wet gear
to keep warm. Apologies for the lack of photos, but we are waiting for the
sunshine, so we can power up the laptop and submit the photos. As ever,
thanks for your continued support. Alan + Matt.

Morning All,

Looking at the progress report, I believe Gemini had a successful day
yesterday......48 miles in total!

The water maker has broken!
Yesterday the winds really picked up (25-30 knots) and during the constant
fury, air became trapped in the desalinator (water maker). This stopped it
from working and we are now on the back-up water maker (all part of the
contingency planning!). Hopefully we will be able to repair the original,
once the weather conditions improve. We have found it really cold at night
and the clouds remain during the day, so our ability to generate energy is
limited. We ate a meal of pepperami and muesli last night, as the waves
were spraying on deck and it was difficult to cook. So far in the voyage we
have already replaced a gas cooker as the salt from the waves becomes
encrusted in the gas working parts and eventually starts to block them from
working. It's nearly impossible to keep equipment dry under these
conditions. Still we are in the tropics and despite the rough conditions we
are travelling in the right direction and beginning to make good progress.
Alan + Matt.

This morning the seas was quite choppy, and the wind fairly high. I even
think we came close to rolling the boat, as we careered down through seas
swell and almost turned over at the bottom. Fortunately though, we were
able to keep control with the oars and our rudder, otherwise it would have
been an early shower. As the miles progress, the distance is beginning to
take it's toll on our bodies. Alongside the customary blisters and
lethargy, Matt's back is giving him trouble and my hands are finding it
hard to clench anything early in the morning. I can only explain that is
must be similar to arthritis, where the joints are fairly stiff and
difficult to flex, so to compensate for this I have been layering on the
deep heat (an ointment that warms and relaxes the underlying muscle).
As the clouds continue to follow GEMINI, we are preserving our energy by
limiting listening to our IPODS for an hour a day and the radio for a
further hour over breakfast. This can be slightly annoying, as I am
listening to an audio book, 'The Hunt for Red October' and I have to break
the story up into chunks!
Yesterday evening we spotted some big tuna under the boat (probably using
GEMINI for protection) and more flying fish, of which some are landing in
the boat. As ever, thanks for your interest and support. Alan + Matt.

Today the sky is overcast which is unusual considering we are now in the
tropics. This means we are using our stereo less when rowing, as we seek to
preserve the batteries. 

Over the week-end the wind direction change at night and started to push us
back to Africa, which ate into our previous days hard work. 

We have been rowing like demons throughout the day for 12
hours or so, then retiring to the cabin at night to recover before the next
days rowing. Even though the weather is cloudy, I'm only wearing my shorts
and the tan is progressively coming along. I have lost a little weight,
this is probably being made up by the length of my beard!
Although we didn't receive any valentine cards, we are in good spirits, but
with only a months worth of chocolate left, things look to get interesting
towards the end of our trip. Good by from the Atlantic for now. Alan +
Matt. 

 
Yesterday was our fourth consecutive day of good rowing (we covered 28
miles yesterday) after two days of bad weather which sent us backwards!

Last night a massive school of dolphins surrounded us. The wind had picked
up late yesterday afternoon making the waves increase in height. Suddenly,
over 100 dolphins (and I'm not exaggerating!) appeared, jumping in and out
of the waves. They came right up to our boat. If they had kept still we
would have touched them. We threw them some food - but they clearly prefer
the fresh fish in the sea as they did not touch our freeze-dried food!

Today is Valentines Day, even in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Which
must surely explain why the post man failed to deliver any cards this
morning!

It's now 10am GMT and I'm dictating this blog over our satellite phone line
having just finished my breakfast - while listening to Status Quo and Queen
on our stereo. This follows our usual routine of rowing for a few hours
when we wake up, before stopping for breakfast.

The sun is now up, although there is a lot of cloud in the sky (which is
bad news for recharging our batteries) and the weather forecast shows we
should have a good day of rowing ahead. So, back to my oars ...

Day:  25
Distance covered: 432 miles

Since being stuck in our cabin for nearly the whole of my birthday, we are
please to report that we've been busy rowing over the weekend (31 miles on
Saturday and 30 miles on Sunday).

We saw another fishing vessel today, which we kept a eye on following the
close call we experienced last week.  It turned out that we were right to
watch this boat too, because as they started to come near us we realised
they were also on a collision course!  Again, following maritime
procedures, we tried to contact the vessel by radio and this time they
answered, thankfully!  So not such a close call this time, but well worth
following the necessary procedures.

The best news is that we've eaten our first hot food in ages.  We ate
freeze-dried beef casserole last night, which was actually really tasty!
This morning we tucked into freeze-dried porridge, rice pudding and coffee
- a real luxury!

Although our overall progress has been slow, we always knew that the first
few weeks would be the hardest.  So here's hoping that the bad weather will
start to get behind us and the hard slog south puts us in a stronger
position to pick up the trade winds, because we're certainly not planning
to still be rowing in six months time!

Thank you for your continued messages of support, we're really grateful.

I celebrated my birthday this morning with cereal (muesli) and cold water.
Thanks for all the birthday messages, it's certainly a novel place to be on
this day of all days! No warm food or jokes and am listening to events on
the BBC Word Service.
The wind is quite strong at the moment, so we are waiting for this to
reduce before resuming rowing. I'm pleased we recently made 2.5 days solid
progress and only hope the weather produces favourable conditions. Thanks
for your continued support and for those providing financial sponsorship to
a worthy international charity. Please have a beer for me. Alan + Matt.

At dawn this morning we noticed a large industrial fishing vessel (about
150 feet long) moving towards us. The closer it came, we sensed it's
erratic movements increased and didn't appear to be under any control. So
following maritime procedures we tried to contact the vessel by radio and
switched on every available light. But to no avail. Even a last effort to
warn them of our presence seemed to go unnoticed, as Matt discharged an
anti-collision flare and I blasted an air horn. With no apparent change in
their direction, we managed to row from their path, with absolutely no
acknowledgement from the vessel.

The good news is my birthday is not far away, (it's on Friday!) and am
really looking forward to a celebratory Spanish beer!

Sunshine.....at last! SEE LATEST PHOTOS
It's been fairly rough over the last couple of days, but at last the
weather appears to be changing for the better. As you know Matt has fixed
the stereo which is great, and we have managed to clear out the
compartments that flooded, due to the faulty seal. Fortunately we encase
everything in airtight bags, so we didn't loose much. Most of the water was
pumped out manually, but to prevent a further build-up, we cunningly
drilled a couple of drainage holes. Don't worry this is all ok!
Over the week-end we endured torrential rain, which made conditions
absolutely miserable. Even last night, it was pitch black, with no
moonlight - you could put your hand in front of your face and see nothing.
The only lights around were from ships far away on the horizon. But at
least we are now eating warm food, as the recent daylight provided adequate
conditions to recharge the batteries for us to cook. We managed to grab
food from other storage spaces and last night tried a Chicken Tikka Curry;
that had little chicken, was not spicy and didn't resemble a curry!
As the weather has improved (today the sun is shining), we are rowing
together and then splitting into 6 hour 'solo' shifts during the night.
Hopefully you will notice a difference on our tracking map! Good Bye for
now. Alan + Matt.

The wind has increased and remain now on a sea anchor. Matt
explained that if the Wind goes at more than a 45deg angle to
Gemini, then rowing is near impossible, especially in blustery conditions.
Furthermore, if the wind were to be in a favourable direction, and it be
too strong, then this hampers steering. So I guess it's a real balancing
act.

Alan says: Good news, we managed to row yesterday and gain some much needed ground, 

having been on the sea anchor for a truly agonising period of time!! You
can probably see,  we have managed to clawback some of the ground we lost.
However, the wind has returned and we have experienced mountainous seas and
as such, reluctantly returned to the sea anchor. In the event the wind is
behind us, and pushing us in a southerly direction, if it veers around by
more than 45 degrees, rowing is almost impossible. Furthermore, even wind
in a favourable direction, if it is too strong, then we cannot steer
adequately, so it's a real balancing act to use the weather conditions to
gain momentum in the direction we require.
Unfortunately, we have still been unable to fix the seal on the hatch, and regularly mop
up sloshing water. On the upside, we did spot an inquisitive whale (when we
were last rowing) that briefly approached Gemini.
Fingers crossed for the weather conditions to improve, we cannot wait to
get into a favourable weather system! 

Answers to texted questions:

1. What arrangements do you have for seeking assistance in the unthinkable
situation of capsize?

Our first instinct is to prevent a capsize, or a roll. This is achieved by
deploying the sea anchor, which positions the boat into the prevailing
winds. Gemini was specially designed for ocean rowing, and as such is
weighted and shaped to roll back to the conventional position. The design
is similar to the one used for larger RNLI lifeboats, and prevents a
permanent capsize. Should we suffer a roll, our safety lines will keep us
tethered to the boat, and we would utilise a strap (foot hold) on the side
of the boat to climb back aboard.

2. Do you have any favourite sing-a-longs to keep you going while you're at
sea?

Interesting question. As you know I have my Ipod, which is even the more
important, given that our stereo broke. I'm listening to varying sorts of
music, provided by friends, to tracks from my own collection. Although, I
particularly like snow patrol!

"Finally the weather has improved! The last couple of days were extremely
frustrating for both of us, going down to the quayside to re-check the kit
and the endless wait for favourable weather conditions. We are now making
our final telephone calls to families and friends before the row, and at
the same time, trying to consume as much fresh fruit as possible! We will
be quite flexible in our rowing arrangements during the first couple of
days, as we leave land behind. We are expecting limited sleep over the
first week, and only hope we can adjust to life on board quite quickly.
Although we are naturally apprehensive, after months of planning, we are
finally ready to row the Atlantic. This leaves us to say a heartfelt thanks
to all the people who have sponsored and supported the Atlantic Rowing
challenge, we hope to repay all your confidence in us."

Alan + Matt, seek to settle into the row and will be in touch again with a
'Progress report'.