Hi, I'm Rebecca, Tara's partner. Unfortunately Tara is finding it hard to fit updating her blog into her rowing day so I have taken over so everyone can hear about what is going on out there.
As you will all be aware Tara was delayed in leaving and it was a rough few days with wild wind and seasickness taking its toll. However I spoke to her this morning (birthday morning on the sea - beat there was no mud cake out there!) and things are looking up. She said everything around them is grey on grey on grey but the sea was flat with not a breath of wind so hopefully that made for good miles covered today. She has had many visitors of the wild variety already including sharks! Her favourite was in the early hours of the morning when two sealions came to pay a visit - she described them as synchronised sealions. They both rolled onto their backs together, lifted the same flipper, put it down and then raised the other one in perfect unison. Definitely gave her a giggle! Another 'awesome' experience was having a pod of about 30 dolphins rush towards them, Tara did try to rush to get the Go Pro out and wake Angela but by the time that had happened they were gone! She would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sent messages via the tracker - it makes their day to receive the messages of support and the occasion joke. If you would like to send a message go to the home page an I will continue to update the blog when I have heard from her. Below are some pictures from their boat launch.... |
RowofLife.com & Adventures of Angela Madsen
Angela Madsen, Guinness World Record Holder, Ocean Rower, Motivational Speaker, Author, Adaptive Rower, Rowing Coach, Two Time Paralympian, Paralympic Bronze Medalist 2012, Adventurer!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Update from the Ocean by Bex via Sat Phone from Tara
Thursday, May 1, 2014
California to Hawaii Part 2 on May 15,2014 by Angela
California to Hawaii Part 2 on May 15,2014
By Angela Madsen 4/30/14
Tara Remington Website |
So little time to go and I seemed to have booked every
minute of it! Tara arrives on the 13th
bringing portions of her own rations. I
have discovered that I can’t really pack
food till she gets here…that will make the 13,14 and 15th kind of crazy. I am
doing my best to get Public Relations work done but with so little help at this
point I will just have to move on. The
isolation of ocean rowing starts long before you ever get in the boat. We
always seem to manage and make it without much but how great would it be if? Sigh
and shoulder shrug. I am hoping leaving from my hometown that we can have at
least as much support as Annie Desalernos of Northwest Paralympic Sport Clubs & Foster
Anderson of Shared Adventures and all who managed to muster up support In Santa
Cruz last year.
I do these rows half way across the world and this will be my 4th
Ocean crossing. Tara Says the question she gets asked most is about the support
boat and do we have anyone out there with us. Answer “No, we have each other”
My number 1 question I get asked is “Why didn’t we here about this”? Believe me
it’s not for our lack of effort! I’ll make one last effort and PR blast out and
it will go where it goes. I don’t have the budget or time to do any more than
that.
Swoop's World |
Long Beach Marine |
Abilities Expo |
Adaptive or Para
Rowing has changed my life! Through adaptive rowing I have gained incredible strength…
to be able- and even to row across oceans. Over the years I have worked to
provide many others the opportunity to better themselves through participation
in adaptive rowing. We created a California Adaptive Rowing Program Go Fund Me
page to raise money to purchase boats for the program which only has 2 boats
that are operational and still floating. Unfortunately we can’t continue to
operate without equipment. I used to think rowing across oceans was
the most difficult thing to do on the planet but really fundraising for a 501c3
when you are a little fish is way more difficult. The Big fish leave very
little for the little fish to survive and its big fish eat little fish, doggie
dog out here, survival of our rowing program is depending on my ability to fundraise. If we don’t make it, what little we have will
be given to another little fish or great cause.
The 20,000 goal is possible if everyone just put in 5 bucks… that is one
pack of cigs or 1 drink. Go to
Go Fund Me--California Adaptive Rowing Program or
if you are not comfortable donating online
mail check to CARP (California Adaptive Rowing
Program) 3350 E. Seventh St., # 231 Long Beach, Calif. 90804. Thank you in
advance for your support J
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Finding Spirit of Orlando by Angela 2013 07 13
Finding Spirit of Orlando
By Angela July 13, 2013
I stopped everyplace between
Santa Barbara (the point of extraction 80 miles west of Morro Bay)
and Long Beach sharing pictures
of the boat and speaking with people. We wondered how far a small boat with a
parachute or drag anchor deployed would drift before making landfall? When I
was on the boat it was only drifting 6-9 miles a day in South East direction
whilst on sea anchor however that was not in gf4 winds.
It had been three weeks since my
rescue and we hadn’t had any news on Spirit of Orlando. We decided
to be more proactive and booked a
Channel Islands whale watching tour with Island Packers to go out looking for
my little boat on Sunday. Once there we gave out more Spirit of Orlando picture
cards and talked to more people. We had a fun day but had no success finding my
little boat. We took the coastal drive home and I kept a lookout using a pair
of binoculars just hoping for a sighting. We were nearly home when we received
a face book message from Denise Muller that stated the boat had been found in
San Diego. I was opening my computer to go online and look at the message when
I got a call from Catherine Miller who informed me that a long range fishing
boat named Old Glory had found my ocean rowing boat. She stated that they were
towing it in and that it would arrive at 6 am Monday morning. We quickly called
the Navy lodge and booked a room for Sunday night. We then hooked up the
trailer and were on our way to San Diego so that we could be there when the
boat arrived in the morning.
We did not know what to expect as
that was a considerable distance, hundreds of miles farther than expected. We
got to San Diego at 1 Am and managed to get 3 hours of sleep before heading to
the H&M Landing at 5:20 AM. All kinds of thoughts were running wildly
through my head like what condition the boat would be in and will I have enough
money to pay the boat that recovered Spirit of Orlando? According to Salvage
laws they did not have to give me my boat and could ask whatever price they
want for the boat. What if I did not have enough? I have Search and Recovery
Insurance for myself and have Vessel Assist for recovery of the boat up to 100
miles but It has to be recovered by a specific Vessel Assist boat. I would have to cover these costs myself.
Spirit of Orlando with Old Glory |
When we arrived at the Marina
there was a ABC 10 news van there and a lot of people getting ready to go out
fishing. It was sunrise and daylight began penetrating the Marine layer. Our
eyes began
searching the H&M Landing for
the boat. First we followed the news crew power cord to the back of the
building by the gangway that lead to the dock with all of the commercial
fishing boats where the news reporter was busy shooting a piece so we went past
them down the gangway. The tide was out and the ramp steep so I positioned
myself at the top, lifted both front wheels up and proceeded to ride a wheelie
all the way down the ramp. My back pack was hitting the anti-slip surface
making a dragging noise that
got the attention of the reporter
and the camera man. I turned to see where Deb was and was blinded by the light
on the camera. I wondered if I should have approached them but I was in a hurry
to get to the boat.
The boat Old Glory was almost to
the end of the boat dock and was unloading the fishermen who were aboard for
Spirit of Orlando’s recovery. Just down to the right on the dock before Old
Glory was The Spirit of Orlando. I had not seen all of the damage done in the container
ship incident as it happened at night and I was extracted from the boat in the
cover of darkness. Other than broken antenna, broken all round navigation light
and flag staff the boat looked good. There were some scrapes in the 3M wrap but
I don’t think it even goes down to the gel coat. It was a very emotional
reunion and I got teary eyed remembering how close a call that really was and
how much worse that could have been. The reporter and cameraman made it down to
the boat. I felt a little embarrassed being teary eyed and getting caught on
camera doing it. I suppressed my tears and then did a brief interview with
channel 10. I was distracted during the interview by my own anxiousness to get
aboard Spirit of Orlando and as soon we were finished I transferred onto the
boat and opened the cabin door. It was a little bit damp and the contents
shifted all topsie turvie like the boat had possibly pitch poled and definitely
had rolled over and self-righted at least once. Pitch polling is going bow over
stern. The airlines statement “contents shift during flight” came to mind.
Deb told me the boat owner was
ready to talk to me so I transferred back over to my chair and went to meet the
Owner and the Skipper of Old Glory. They helped me aboard Old Glory and I sat
inside the galley waiting anxiously as it was time to discuss business. I was
so afraid I would not have enough money. Joe Philips, the owner operator of Old
Glory told me how he supports veterans and how they take our wounded warriors
out fishing and then he told me he was not going to charge me. I offered
money to cover expenses and fuel and he and the crew refused to take any money.
I was relieved and put off at the same time as I wanted to give them something
.All I can do for now is express my gratitude. They were all so generous and
kind. The skipper had looked up information about my boat and the tribute row
and it is my understanding that all consented unanimously to the recovery of
the Spirit of Orlando.
Thanks and appreciation to
H&M Landing
Catherine Miller
Old Glory
Owner operator Joe Philiips
Bobby Turner
Alex Centner
Richard McDonald
John Chustine
Tory Shane DeNuccio
Ray Kommel of Bakersfield
Lott Mason of San Clemente
Roy Rafferty of San Clemente
Ted Davidge of Laguna Nigel
Troy Regan of Dana Point
Brian Wilson of San Clemente
Juan Contreras of San Diego
Luis Godinaz of Chula Vista
Alfred Orozco of Southgate
John Nix of Garden Grove
Kathleen Barcelona Garden Grove
James Willis of Capistrano Beach
Mike Hatzidakis of Colton
Trent J Levinson of Desert Hot
Springs
Richard Allen of San Diego
Glen Lee Borgia of San Clemente
Gaetono Legrande of Dana Point
Todd Lake of San Juan
Daniel Craig of San Clemente
Chad Psilopoulos of Oceanside
Brian Muecke of Rim Forest
Thank you all so much
Angela & your Old Glory catch
of the day, Spirit Of Orlando
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Post Row. Santa Cruz to Waikiki by Angela 2013 06 18
Post Row. Santa Cruz to Waikiki
By Angela Madsen 06/18/13
At sea from 5:45 PM June 9 till 3:45 AM on June 17.Rowed a total
of 172 miles
The row was scheduled to begin at noon but was delayed till June 9th
at 5:45PM due to weather and high surf caused by a low pressure system which
was on its way out. New weather reports and forecasts looked promising all the
way through June 20. I made my way out of the Santa Cruz channel at 5:45 PM
with only mild onshore NW winds and a relatively flat sea. When describing wind
they use the direction it is blowing from so NW winds flow SE.
I saw my first dolphin in the first hour as the sun was setting.
The seas and winds remained calm through the night and the sky was clear enough
to see many stars. I rowed all through the night making about 26 miles and
rowed through the morning. The winds had begun to pick up so I put out my
parachute anchor at 1 pm to take a 2 hour nap. Sleep did not come in this rest
period, partly me just being so excited and partly because the boat wasn’t
setting well. I exited the cabin to the sounds of sea lions playing which was
all good till I saw what they were playing with. They had collapsed my para
anchor and were playing ball with the buoy I had attached to the rig. They saw
me come out of the cabin and stopped first looking at each other, then at me
and then at each other again like mischievous children. That would completely
explain the oddities of the behavior of my boat on sea anchor that first time.
I retrieved my para anchor and continued rowing increasing my distance from land
and making the most miles west I would see the entire row.
As the sun was setting another low pressure system was moving in
producing increases in NW winds and in the size of the waves. It was as if the
opportunity of good weather to begin my row was like the eye of the storm. I
placed my sea anchor out when it became un row-able and thought about the day’s
events and all of the marine life I had seen in just one day of rowing. It
began with the sea lions and a killer whale charging toward my boat a short
time later followed by many dolphins. Then as I was rowing a Blue whale and her
calf surfaced right beside my boat. I had to pull in my oar to avoid contact.
They left me and headed in closer to shore possibly to avoid the killer whales.
Orcas like to go after the whale calves. I saw some interesting looking
jellyfish floating by and thought about Diane Nyad who swims oceans and has
encounters with jelly fish and I was visited by 3 black tip sharks. Only the
killer whales exhibited aggressive behavior. I had seen 2 killer whales on the
GB row that exhibited the same behavior. They charge toward the boat at rates
of speed capable of pulling a water skier with their huge dorsal fins broaching
the surface the entire time. They get just up to the boat like they will ram
you and then disappear.
The NOAA weather channel on the VHF radio described this new low
pressure system and small craft and high wind and sea advisories. I set my
sleep alarm for 2 hours so I could check for ship traffic knowing there was
little chance I would be rowing again anytime soon. I checked traffic every two
hours through the night and as promised the NW winds had reached 25 kts with
33-39 kt gusts. The seas were at about 15 ft with an additional 4-5 foot wind
swell so sets topped off about 20-25 ft. I remained on sea anchor all day and
another night. Checking the lines first light I noticed that the anchor bridal
lines had chafed and broken and the only line holding my sea anchor on was the
one retrieval line I had put on as an assistive device to help bring the bridal
thimble or anchor line attachment point back to the boat. The retrieval line
which runs all the way out to the parachute anchor had come undone. Guessing
those playful sea lions had broken the bite on my Bolin knot and it came undone
during the night. I had no way to collapse and retrieve my parachute anchor to
repair the anchor line fixation points. This was serious as I was about to lose
my 9 foot diameter parachute anchor which is an extremely important piece of
storm kit.
I also brought a 6 ft diameter anchor with a much shorter line as
a backup. I managed to get about 170 foot of line back in the boat and
parachute within 15 foot of my boat but could get it no closer. I then took the
small anchor and connected it to the rear of my boat deploying it with 50 ft of
line. As it opened it swung my boat around to a point where I could reach the
other anchor. I had successfully rescued my anchor but sacrificed the smaller
less important one as I did not have time to place a retrieval line on it when
I deployed it. Pulling a fully laden 1200 pound boat up to a 6 diameter
parachute anchor in 25-30 mph winds would be easier than the larger diameter
para anchor but I figured I would solve that problem later. The boat was riding
ok on the smaller one for the time being. It did get calm enough for me to row
again and I figured out how to collapse the chute by sending a carabineer down
the anchor line that was bigger than the swivel shackle. It went over the
connectors and worked its way down collapsing the chute. Then it came in easy.
I had managed to save both anchors. In the process I had injured my right knee.
It locked up and has swollen and will not straighten. It never got calm enough
for me to repair the bridal or for me to crawl out onto the bow and make a
connection with the bow tow eye located at the front of the boat. My thought
was If I had too, in an emergency, I could use the one located at the rear as I
could connect it from my cabin by accessing it through the hatch and that I
could make these repairs as well as doing my personal admin and laundry when I
got some better conditions at sea.
For all of my rowing, in the conditions I could make no west but
could only go south. I expected to go a bit south and more SW and almost do a
course that resembled a Nike swoosh but it was not to be. I had to take the
foot stretchers out because of my knee and try to secure myself while rowing
with my other leg. I looked at the course and how I could only go SE in these
conditions, took into consideration my knee injury and my distance from land. I
was 80.7 miles from land. I decided to Row to Los Angeles and reschedule the
Hawaii row. I changed my course and was rowing SE. I did not know about the new
forecast at this time. The seas once again were getting bigger and the winds
were just howling. I looked at my last 2 hours rowing and had noticed I had
gone more west while rowing SE. maybe current running west? Could I possibly
make it to Hawaii if I now could somehow go west or had I gone too far south?
What is the weather forecast? I turned on the VHF and listened to the forecasts
of Gale Force winds for my location and heavy seas. This basically means
conditions twice as big and bad as what I had been battling for the previous 5
days for the next 5 days. There is no question now, only the realization that I
can neither row to Hawaii or LA in what is coming my way and staying on the
boat will jeopardize myself or anyone who may have to be involved in a last
minute rescue. I called the coast guard to apprise them of my situation and ask
for their recommendation and then we coordinated rescue from that point
forward.
A container ship MOT Mission was in my area and dispatched to pick
me up. When the ship arrived they determined that they could not dispatch their
little boat in the conditions and that they would attempt a direct pick up from
the side bay door 15 ft up on the container ship and that this would occur
while container ship was underway. He instructed me to get up on deck and I was
in process of exiting the cabin when the massive container ship did a drive by
along my port side while throwing life rings and lowering a basket while
yelling jump JUMP. I could not jump and my bum knee that kept me half in the
cabin and not on the deck in time to try to jump probably saved my life. The
sounds of the voices yelling jump were no longer audible as the sounds of my
antenna, navigation light and the side and top of my boat scraping along the
hull of this huge vessel as it is being sucked underneath its hull at the stern
was all I could here. I am looking up at the hull of the ship atop my little
boat and across to the propeller and I get back in my cabin closing the hatch
door to ride out what was coming next. Propeller wash. I was sucked up, run
over by a container ship and spit out the back. Foamy and turbulent the water
glowed a sea foam greenish color that seemed to give off its own amazing light.
After the turbulent ride, darkness had settled and with no daylight left the
giant spotlights on the ship were turned on and they were panning the sea
looking for me. They contacted me on the radio about making another pass. After
being at sea 7 days and battling bad weather for the last 5 while I was out on
the deck waiting, hanging on, getting slammed by 54 degree water waves in 55
degree outside temps I thought about what I had just gone through and went back
into my cabin. I hailed the ship on the radio and waved him off of any further
rescue attempts. Anyone in my position would not have been physically capable
of what was required. The ship’s Captain wanted to rescue me as much as I
wanted to row to Hawaii so he was not happy to leave me in my little boat but I
thought it best and I stuck to my guns. I thanked him for his time and effort
and told both he and the coast guard that I was going to warm up, go to sleep
and assess my situation further in the morning. I was going to sleep on it. At
about 2:45 AM the Coast Guard called me and told me they would have a
helicopter to my location in about an hour. They arrived and rescue swimmer was
deployed. I made sure to leave the Sea me and navigation light on the Spirit of
Orlando to aide in recovery of the boat. The swimmer got back in the water
first then I joined him the water. He swam us over to the basket, he placed me
in the basket and I was raised up into the Helicopter. It was a text book Sea
rescue. I phoned Deb and told her I would be at the Santa Barbara Airport where
she met me with some dry cloths and my wheelchair. We spent the rest of the day
on the drive back stopping at vessel assist in Ventura who told us it would be
impossible to go out and get the boat in the weather that was coming and know
way to know where to look after the blow. We stopped at military installations
and ports and harbors asking them to look out and contact us if they spot the
boat. We are on standby to recover the
boat, once recovered, I will reschedule the row.
Angela
Spirit of Orlando..Missing at Sea
Call 562-505-4157 with Lat and Long last spotted at
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