#row4climate

[row4climate-blog]

Day One Done!

Eliza and Team Ripple Effect are one day into the race! They are sending daily reports back through texts and satellite phone. Here’s Ripple Effect’s location on the map: 

Ripple Effect is the lead boat and they are making good progress. They started with three crew members rowing and one resting. They have now switched to two rowing and two resting. The wind has picked up this evening and the conditions are likely to be challenging for the first week until they get farther west into calmer waters. Team Ripple Effect is handling it well and going strong! As of 7:00 pm they had rowed 33 nautical miles and had 2,055 more miles to go to get to Hawaii!

The best place to track the boats is on the GreatPacificRace.com website, or try the YB Race app which gives boat speed.

[row4climate-blog]

Past the 100-mile Mark!

Team Ripple Effect just rowed past the 100-mile mark! The first part of the race is exhausting as the crews try to break away from the shore. The prevailing winds blow onshore in California because as the land heats up the air over it rises and the cool air over the ocean rushes in to replace it.  In addition, a storm came through yesterday bringing gale force winds. Today the National Weather Service predicts Northwest winds up to 25 knots and waves 7 to 11 feet in height. These strong winds also bring big waves and small boats can’t go directly West across the waves. With the wind and waves pushing them onshore the Ripple Effect and all the teams have to battle mightily for any westward movement. 

Yesterday the winds were 25 to 29 knots from the North - Northwest with swells between 9 and 11 feet at about 7 seconds. Crews are tired and some are seasick. They are getting used to the rhythm of rowing and sleeping in two-hour intervals. Since there is no refrigeration on board fresh food is now gone and cooking is a struggle in the big winds. The strong winds and big waves are unrelenting so most of the crews including the Ripple Effect put out their para-anchors last night so they could wait out the storm and try to sleep. 

A para-anchor is like a parachute designed for the water. Rather than tethering the boat to the seabed, it increases the drag through the water and acts like a brake. It slows the boat down and lets the crew stop rowing, climb into their cabin, and rest. If you are keeping an eye on the tracker you can see when a crew has deployed their para-anchor because their speed slows way down.

Eliza and the Ripple Effect crew are working hard and putting forth amazing effort. They have rowed 105 nautical miles from Monterey!