The last three days have seen good progress as I managed to break free from the eddy I was stuck in off Seal Rocks, with the assistance of some Northerly breeze which started at 0100hrs on the morning of day 6. It was another night in the shipping lanes with vessels around me all night long. I was on the oars at 0630 and rowed for 8.5 hours that day, making around 2 knots/hour. During the morning an enormous fish swam past, it was almost as long as the boat and looked like a marlin, It was going so fast it made me feel as if I was standing still. I could just make out the site of land in the morning but lost it by lunchtime and don’t expect to see it again until NZ. I also had my last limited cellphone coverage drop out during the day and one of the final messages was from Dave Field telling me there were 5 large vessels coming straight towards me. By 1700 hrs I was thrilled to notice an increase in speed as we found the EAC again. That night we had a tailwind from the north and with the EAC made excellent progress but it was bumpy as hell and I could not sleep.

Day 7 – I hit the oars at 0615 and was in a position just below Sydney in latitude and 60nm offshore. I rowed 9 ¾ hours, averaging 3- 4 knots until I was knackered, the sun disappeared and the wind changed against me. All day I was bothered by flies. What they were doing 60nm offshore I can only put down to the fact I was starting to stink. I dropped the para anchor in the darkness and made dinner in the cabin at 2000 hrs. The wind was forecast for 15-20 knots overnight from the south, the opposite of what I need, but fortunately the para anchor in the strong current dominated the wind and we still made 2 knots progress south all night. During the night only one vessel passed me around 5nm away.

Now on day 8 I was pretty chuffed to pass within 1.5nm of the waypoint I had been aiming for since Coff’s. To have travelled 280nm in these winds and currents in a rowing boat, solo and come within 1.5nm of the target is pretty good going. It is critical I position myself correctly in the EAC to combat the adverse winds and get slung out into the Tasman at the right spot during the next 72 hours. If I get it wrong I will be caught in a whirlpool and possibly be sent back towards Coff’s Harbour with no way to get off. I am currently around 75nm south of Sydney and 65nm off the coast on sea anchor. The wind is from the South still and forecast to rise to 25 knots SE overnight. Once again this is the wrong direction and I am praying the strength of the EAC will override this, so I do not lose ground and may even continue to advance albeit slowly. It will be a rough night. This morning when I awoke the retrieval line for the sea anchor had been tangled in the rudder so I took my first swim, not before a very good look for sea monsters. It was cold but refreshing. I have done some laundry today and cleaned the boat as I cannot row due to the wind.

So the game of strategy continues. Together with the wonderful guidance from meteorologist Roger Badham whom I speak with twice per day, we are advancing as fast as possible when I can row, desperately hunting for favorable currents, dropping the sea anchor and waiting out patiently the adverse winds till they turn and I can make progress again. I really have no idea if I will make it to NZ, this is a massive adventure with no guarantee of success, but I will and am giving it 100% of my effort. The picture shows one of my friends, a cargo vessel disappearing into the dusk a few evenings ago.

Love Axe