Day 129 - The Ultimate Tea
September 14, 2009 – 8:51 amToday we face our greatest danger yet…running out of tea.
This morning we finished off the last of the tea bags in the penultimate bag and now we’re starting to drink our way through the ultimate bag’s tea bags.
Thankfully with our careful reigeme of drinking tea only with a meal (unless we’re on the sea anchor) we should easily be able to eek out our supply until San Francisco. It is however yet another of the many small indications that we are getting closer to the end of this adventure.
The other more generally noticable feature is the seasons. We set off in Spring and now in Autumn there is a noticible chill in the air. On top of this the sun is rising later in the morning and setting earlier at night.
This is mainly only an issue because of the power we need to generate with our solar panels, although it does make identifying dinner slightly more difficult. Added to the problems we’ve encountered on our way across with the solar panels they now have a lower peak output than they did before and now are getting daylight for fewer hours per day. We’ll be alright but we’re keen to keep moving towards land.
38°12′18”N 148°58′5”W
Chris & Mick travelled 48.8 miles East (heading 82.3°) on day 129
They ended 1437.4 miles from San Francisco (48.8 miles closer than yesterday)
They covered miles 3596 to 3644 of the trip
Their average pace so far has been 28.3 miles/day towards San Francisco
They have 50.9 days remaining at this rate, so would arrive in San Francisco on 3 Nov 2009
Their target heading for the shortest route to San Francisco is East (heading 82.8°)
See where the boat is
Sponsor Thanks
Thanks today go to Victor Hunter who sponsored mile 3600. Mick and Chris covered this at around 7am yesterday morning.
Would you like to sponsor a mile?
Click on Mick and Chris to see where the boat is
23 Responses to “Day 129 - The Ultimate Tea”
Hello lads,
Sorry about the tea situation, I know how much Mick appreciates a brew. But chins up and keep rowing hard because I bet they have plenty of tea in SF.
Good effort
By John Hanafin on Sep 14, 2009
Sorry guys about the tea situation,maybe what you should have done earlier is make 2 cups of tea from one teabag!It may be a weak brew i know but it sure works well;-)
Glad you guys are doing so well with the mileage and everything is finally coming into perspective,keep up the good work,you guys are AMAZING….
By Grace Dawson on Sep 14, 2009
Ah Chris and Mick - life is not worth living without TEA! As Grace has suggested, use each tea bag at least twice and then you will actually have double the amount of tea on board than you first thought! Keep wearing the woolly hats and socks (unless they blew overboard the other day…), keeeeeeep warm, keeeeeep smiling, keeeeeeep rowing and keeeeeeep safe.
By Sue from Cornwall on Sep 14, 2009
In my exerience tea is pants in the States so you’d better carry right on through to the UK for that brew.
On the other hand long island iced tea is good in the US. It has tea in the name…
By Boing Boing on Sep 14, 2009
guys trying the teabags twice even try using 2 used ones together it just might eke them out a bit further. Keep going you are doing a great job blessings Lesley
By lesley on Sep 14, 2009
Only just saw yesterday’s blog and couldn’t quite work out why you’d put up a picture of Paul Weller.
Anyway Paul/Mann Quinn/whoeveryouare smashing progress. Keep up the good work.
By Margaret on Sep 14, 2009
Grace is right chaps, but then as “the wife” that is something Mick will get used to! Glad to hear from Theresa yesterday that little Grace is doing well after the op, great news.
As for tea advice try contacting SBX-1 they might have some, or would that be “support”? Anyway keep up the mileage you’ll be back in blighty for tea and cake before you can say “bugger me Choshi me is a long way from San Fran” (in Japanese, obviously you could say it in English before you get back!)
Right I’m off for a pasty!
By Biff on Sep 14, 2009
Not irony Boing just podgy fingers. Anyway isn’t irony like bronzey and goldy but made of iron?
By Biff on Sep 14, 2009
bad luck on the tea bag front chaps.. I don’t think turning them inside out or back to front a la boxer shorts will be make them last longer either.
Am currently enjoying a life of leisure for the 1st time in well, ever! I handed my notice in last monday and politely informed them that I was going to work for a direct competitor, so did they really want me to work out my notice.. strangely, the answer was no = cath is now a “lady wot lunches” ah, a few probs there, one the “lady” part and 2 I think you need money to be able to pay for said lunches
Never mind, was a nice idea, will go & re-insulate the loft instead & sort out the humungous wasp nest that’s also in the loft.
Will comiserate about your negative tea scenario whilst I’m pulling insulating fibre out of nostrils & eyes
By Cath on Sep 14, 2009
watcha boys yeah defo 2 bags for one cup ,weird lot we are with our tea its a kinda love it or hate it ,anyway be safe love to bo an keep warm.x
By jenny b on Sep 14, 2009
Rember what the EPIRB is for - if you run out, hit the tempting red button and a nice chap will winch down fresh tea bags.
By Laser.Beam on Sep 14, 2009
You ever been tea bagged before Chris?
By Boing Boing on Sep 14, 2009
Of course he’s been tea bagged. He’s been stuck on a boat for 3 months with a Royal Marine.
By Laser.Beam on Sep 14, 2009
Back home in time for tea and medals? Well medals anyway - chaaaaaaaarge
By Typical Lightweight Matelot on Sep 14, 2009
Recon they are all wrong - I think you should enjoy every cuppa with a fresh bag. Dry out the used bags (washing line style) and store them - Just in Case. Then when you run out of propper bags and are down to using the used bags, it will spur you on to GGB sooner, and of course it will be closer too because you will have been enjoying your cuppas along the way. So with a bit of luck and a bit of rowing, you may never need to resort to using a used tea bag at all! Happy Days eh!
Either way, when you arrive, get that Long Island Iced Tea shipped in - its a damn long way to row from SF to Long Island to get it!
By Dizzie Blonde on Sep 14, 2009
Gosh! The subject of tea bags has really woken up the other bloggers today! Anyone would think it was made of gold dust and not leaves from a shrub! Talking of heavy metal, as Biff was earlier, if he’s been eating pasties, he must still be in Cornwall, or is he pretending to be there, just to make the others jealous! Meanwhile, hope Chris and Mick are not just pretending to be out there on the North Pacific and that they are keeping warm while rowing, crossing the miles in expert fashion and heading ever closer to their goal.
By Sue from Cornwall on Sep 14, 2009
is that a touch of the ginger I see in that photo? I suppose it’s strawberry blonde highlights?
By Cath on Sep 14, 2009
Pretending SfC!! How dare you! I am at present enjoying the view from St. Mawes across the Fal to Falmouth with a fine pint, if life gets better I don’t how! It’s good down here I heartily recommend Cornwall to other bloggers. And they have tea!
By Biff on Sep 14, 2009
HI THERE LADS.Back at home now after week away from bikes.Now catching up on you 2 again.Thanks for your good wishes it did some good,got 2nd by 0.23 of a second after racing 150 miles in 1 hour 2o minutes much of the race side by side with a 26 year old,not bad for an old one eh?Also got fastest lap of race my best ever at just over 114mph average.Now trying to get back into drinking ready for your party!!It was good of you both to stay at sea long enough for me to finnish the Manx but now you can get on to S.F. as soon as possible I need a holiday!It is good to see the miles going down at a better rate,ALL THE VERY BEST LADS,best wishes Joker & Callum
By the joker & callum on Sep 14, 2009
Glad you are enjoying your visit to Cornwall, Biff and you have been so clever to have come down here during the best weather we have had all summer - I love the county, but then I am a bit biased, as I live here all the time! St.Mawes and St. Just in Roseland is a particularly pleasant area to visit. The sport of rowing and gig racing are very popular in this part of the world, as I am sure you and other bloggers, Chris and Mick know only too well.
Keeeep smiling Chris and Mick, keeeeep rowing and keeeeep safe.
By Sue from Cornwall on Sep 14, 2009
Great to hear your voice on the phone t’other night: as Mike was with us, it was especially good to have our two boys “together”.
Now a report of a unique and rather sad event.
A 9.5m (28ft) juvenile male humpback whale has been found dead in the Thames near Dartford Bridge, Kent, the first ever to be stranded in the river.
Humpback whales, which as you know are found in seas around the world, usually grow to 12-15m. The shorter length of the Thames whale plus postmortem findings led the scientists to conclude it was a young animal.
With any luck, you may yet get to see some more of his species, or maybe hear them, as they are the most vocal of all whales. You certainly stand more chance than we do!
Take care guys.
By Dad Martin on Sep 14, 2009
The last time a live whale was stranded in the Thames countless people mobilised to save it with all manner of equipmant, and it was good to see too.
Last year a live whale was washed up on Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria (about 500 metres from where I type now and next to one of the haunts frequented regularly by Mick & Grace et al). There was a stampede for everyone to get to the beach with their knives & forks. I kid you not, right there and then on the beach. Welcome to Lagos Moby.
By Typical Lightweight Matelot on Sep 15, 2009
Biff - weren’t we supposed to be cycling this week?
By Laser.Beam on Sep 15, 2009