Carrot still flying

It is possible that you have heard of Oliver Hicks. I believe he has had a little bit of media coverage but not a lot. Yet he deserves to be better known because just now he is undertaking a venture so tough that I think he must be a little bit potty.

Hicks has embarked on a single-handed row, some 18,000 miles around Antarctica via the Southern Ocean. He didn't invite much publicity because he was afraid that state authorities might impound his boat, so risky is the venture. He couldn't get permission to embark from New Zealand so left from Tasmania instead. This time he didn't seek permission and none was given. He just set off.

That was in January and today he is 55 days in to a voyage that he believes will take him between 18 and 22 months, including a winter break in South Georgia, before he continues around the globe to his starting point.

He is blogging most days so you can follow his progress here at Virgin Global Row. His boat is called the "Flying Carrot." For practice he rowed the Atlantic two or three years ago so he knows what it's about. Good luck to him. He's going to need it.

Rounding the Horn

As I'm writing this Michel Desjoyeaux is just about to start rounding Cape Horn in the Vendee Globe. It's a big day for the race because this is a place that stirs the heart of every sailor.

It brings back memories for me. Twelve years ago I rounded the horn from east to west in the BT Global Challenge race. Some might regard it as an ignominious rounding as I was in my bunk when we crossed the exact co-ordinate. It was during the night, there was nothing to see and frankly there seemed not much worth celebrating with thousands of miles of ocean to cross before New Zealand.

The Vendee sailors might view it somewhat differently. Some are heading there for the first time and all of them will be boosted psychologically once they have "turned the corner". One who will not make it is Jonny Malbon who has retired on Artemis because of his deteriorating mainsail. It's a tough end to what has not been a great race for Malbon.

Desjoyeaux, of course, could find his way round with his eyes closed. His boat seems to be sailing well and he doesn't report any problems. But then he prepared well. A lot can go wrong still and something probably will, but I wouldn't bet against him at this stage, unless I happened to be Roland Jourdain who knows the lead is well within his grasp. The more he can pressure Desjoyeaux, the more chance there is of forcing an error. But such pressure works both ways, as those following understand. Anything can happen in this last long haul northwards.