This past week has been an eventful one for our intrepid foursome and their cause. Most notable, for the first time in 78 years a tropical cyclone Hurricane Alex had developed in the south Atlantic during the month of January. It forced our Team to to deploy their sea anchor and seek refuge in the cabin for three days .The waves were 30ft plus high and the winds were blowing at 50 knots based on the way in which the crew were tossed around like loose change in an almost empty piggy bank. There were times when the crew were airborne inside the cabin and to prevent being slammed against the roof of the cabin they had to hold on. In those seas, some of the roughest they had ever seen in their lifetime, the greatest fear was that the boat would roll over since waves were sometimes covering the boat. Thankfully, the boat is engineered to right itself should that had happened so they would have enjoyed some level of comfort knowing that fact.
When it was all over, everyone was okay but the rudder was gone. That was disheartening since two auto-pilots had given up the ghost so far on the journey and it was only through foresight that they had installed that rudder and brought along a spare. Granny and her companion returned after the storm to continue watching over the crew and although they didn’t bring any food, just knowing they were there is comforting. On the subject of food, fresh fish has been a regular on the menu. Some dolphins had come around and treated the crew to a spectacular performance that was thoroughly enjoyed. Then when they had moved on, the other dolphin… Mahi Mahi came around and it was time to get the main ingredient for “fish soup.”
Other than the mahi mahi, the tuna, and the flying fish that they have to toss off the deck in the mornings they have also seen breaching whales and huge marlins have stalked the boat on and off. A huge shark even ventured closely to investigate and Doc Fuller had the audacity to grab the dorsal fin. The storm did not only slow their forward progress but it also pushed them back nine nautical miles, so now that they are back on their way they have make up for the time lost and the miles they have been pushed back.
It’s a good thing it is a long challenge because they now have an opportunity to catch up to the other rowers and other people have the opportunity to get on board and support the hospice. Restaurants and many stores are engaging in initiatives that are geared toward helping to plug that budgetary abyss with which the hospice is faced on a yearly basis. Thanks to Le Bistro, Heritage Sports and the schools, the total donations have began to pick up.
Teddy, a visitor from Rhode Island puts it aptly… “There is no greater show of charity than going through what these men are going through in the Atlantic. They’re worth every dollar I donated, one hundred times over.”
The satellite video here of the hurricane shows exactly where Team Wadadli was at the time it was taken . Three weeks later they encountered another storm not quite so fierce that again put them at sea anchor and in the cabin , this time for one and a half days . These storms made this crossing one of the most difficult and dangerous in the Campaigns history .