Edinburgh film-maker, Gavin Turnbull, has sent us an update on his trip aboard the support boat Aurora. The 67 foot yacht has been trailing the entrants in The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, rowing from La Gomera in the Canaries across the Atlantic. The race has now been won by Box Number 8 who rowed for 40 days 9 hours and 15 minutes to get to the finish line.
His diary entries have reached us by email which is of course a little intermittent as he has been sailing in the middle of the Atlantic…Gavin’s job is to film the race and also to collect the SD cards from GoPro cameras attached to the 17 boats which started the race, edit the footage (yes on a yacht in the middle of the Atlantic) and eventually perhaps produce a documentary about the whole experience.
Here is one of the wee videos posted on the Talisker site:-
TALISKER YACHT EN ROUTE TO AID ROW TO RECOVERY from Talisker Whisky on Vimeo.
Sunday 1 January 2012
After yet another VERY slow breakfast, this time due to missing staff at
the Mindelo cafe we leave Cape Verdes, glad to get away. Mark from Maisie
Rose passes, I’m the only one up I explain we were planning to leave at
10am, it was now 11am, he laughed and said it was a very relaxed boat. Ole
drops by to say hello, he hands over yet another large wad of money!
Canadian dollars to be enjoyed once we’re at Barbados.Monday 2 January 2012
Day 2 of sailing 330 NNW to find GO commando. Sea has been continuously
lumpy and winds of 25 – 32 knots. I am so exhausted and enjoying spending
all my spare time in the bunk catching up on sleep and this diary. It’s
coming up to dinner time.Tuesday 3 January 2012
Great watches last night. The evening watch with Graham had a show of
Risso’s dolphin, swimming alongside and jumping out of the larger waves.
The later watch had stars and phosphorecense, the waves and lights and the
clouds and stars create an almost mirror image. A flying fish landed in
the cockpit right in front of me. They are so wriggly with large scales
that come off very easily. I threw it back but found out later there was
already one on board trapped under the slats of the cockpit sole.Spent so much time sleeping today. Getting back into boat routine. So glad
to have loads of fresh fruit and veg on board, beginning to feel normal
again. Imo (1st mate) has been ill.Interviewed Graham regarding his plans for collecting the boats.
Photographed a tiny flying fish that was thrown onto deck by a wave.
Beautiful sunset as we hove to for the evening. We should be close to Go
Commando around 11am tomorrow.Wednesday 4 January 2012
We find Go Commando. Come along side her and Jacko and Graham climb
aboard. They spend an hour on board removing and packing up spares and
food. Graham looks very at ease on board, Jacko is in the cabin most of
the time, it almost looks like Graham is about to take the oars and start
their watch. As GC has been adrift for weeks it now has its own
ecosystem, many dorado jump near by, a huge dorado can be seen just under
the hull. At once a huge dorado jumped out and onto GC, almost making it
on board but it bounced off the fore cabin.A call comes from James and Bertie to Imogen, it sounds like they are in a
bad way, feeling very low, they had a roll after their oars got broken.Evening brought a pod of common dolphins to the boat, fantastic. Spent
half an hour filming them. My turn to cook today, I have been voted the
best cook by the cooking ‘crew’. Tonight I am making chicken stir fry. My
meals are always looked forward to and it’s great to bask in the glow of
the crews appreciation for a while.As I was preparing food the dolphins returned, it was now approaching sun
set, there is a light golden glow on the water. I spend another 15 minutes
on the bow filming them. THIS IS WHAT IT’S ABOUT.Thursday 5 January 2012
On watch till 8am so stayed up. Had breakfast as the day warmed up. We
have company, a large Tuna has latched itself to Aurora, swimming on the
shaded side of the boat I assume it is using the shadow to hide itself
from it’s prey. It stays with us.Many flying fish again. We watch one fly what looked liked 100 yards, we
shouted encouragement as it went.James calls, I take the call as skipper is watching Jaws down below. James
seems in good spirits and tells me they have some great footage. Good to
here from him, they have had a roller coaster of a ride physically and
mentally. We should be with them mid afternoon tomorrow. We will spend a
few hours with them sorting out oars etc.Spent a hour or more filming the tuna now joined by a second from the deck
and in with a GoPro in the water. Torn between filming and fishing! Have
some great footage and plan to use the technique again if they’re still
around tomorrow or when the dolphins are back.
well done to all off you 🙂
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