Archive for May 27th, 2008

One individual, one boat, three oceans – this extreme challenge has never before been attempted.

I would like to introduce you to Ollie Hicks, a 26 year old Brit who is about to attempt one very extreme adventure and that is to circumnavigate the globe in a rowing boat! Crazy? Well probably but then people would have said that of anyone who tackled the ‘impossible’ – the list of names is too numerous but throughout our history there has always been a first – from the oceans, deserts, space, mountains and continents – and here we have another intrepid explorer ready to risk life and limb to achieve that accolade.

But this adventure is not just about being the first: Hicks is hoping to raise £1,000,000 for charity as well as collecting scientific and medical data and highlighting the effects of global warming on our planet as well as demonstrating what can be achieved by using renewable energy sources.

The Global Row will also be working to raise awareness of climate change and global warming and showing that it is possible to live off alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power.

It is particularly fitting that the Global Row should depart this year in the middle of International Polar Year which aims to focus attention on the Northern and Southern Polar regions.

The journey will encompass a region which has already been significantly affected by climate change.

• The Southern Ocean has warmed up by 0.17C between 1950 and 1980
• In 1995 the Larsen A ice shelf disintegrated from the Antarctic Peninsula.
• In 2002 1,250 Sq. miles of the Larsen B ice shelf collapsed in 35 days.
• Warming in Antarctica is 5 times the international average +2.5C
  since 1945.
• The melt season has increased by 2-3 weeks in the last 20 years.
• The Adelie penguin population has shrunk by 33% in 25 years due to decline in winter sea ice habitat.

The basis of the voyage is to utilise the favorable currents and winds in the Southern Ocean. The expedition will leave New Zealand later this year and head towards 50 – 55 degrees south latitude and into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), this is also the midst of the Furious fifties where the prevailing westerly winds swirl around the planet. These winds and current will help maximize Hicks’ daily mileage and by staying above 60 degrees south the worst of the cold and ice will be avoided.

By following the 55 degrees south line across the Pacific Hicks will pass through the Drake passage and past Cape Horn aiming to make landfall on South Georgia for a resupply and to overwinter for 4 – 5 months. From South Georgia Hicks will continue eastward across the Atlantic ocean passing well to the south of the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean before an intended return to New Zealand, some 18 to 24 months after departing.

The Southern Ocean has long been regarded by mariners as the wildest of the oceans and has been described to in much maritime literature and legend. Sea temperatures vary from about 10C to -2C. Cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and are frequently intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean. The ocean area from latitude 40 degrees south to to the Antarctic circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on earth. In winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south in the in the Atlantic sector.

At these latitudes – the roaring 40s, furious 50s and screaming 60s will be prevalent and with no landmass to slow them down they always present an extreme challenge to any mariner. Huge icebergs miles in length and width, smaller bergs and sea ice are ever present. High winds, mountainous waves, powerful storms, fog and poor visibility will all have to be negotiated. Perhaps the greatest risk to Hicks’ boat is accumulation of ice on the deck and superstructure, in certain conditions this can form thick and fast compromising the stability of the boat. And what hope of a friendly helicopter appearing overhead in the event of a disaster……..well your guess is as good as mine when you are a thousand miles from the nearest base.

We at Xtremesort4u wish Ollie the best of luck and we will keep you, our readers, informed of this remarkable voyage as and when he sets out.

Hicks’ intended journey – starting from Wellington, New Zealand, November 2008, 15,000 miles, scheduled completion 18 to 24 months later, Wellington, New Zealand

So what is it about extreme expeditions and families?

On Saturday a mother-daughter team from Australia reached the summit of Mount Everest, and just a few weeks ago, on 13th April, David Hempleman-Adams, 51, and his daughter Camilla, 15, reached the North Pole thereby making her the youngest British female to ski to the Pole.

David, himself, has completed several record-breaking expeditions, including the adventurer’s “grand slam”: conquering the poles and the highest peak on each continent.

“When I was growing up I often wished he wasn’t an explorer because it took him away from us and I missed him,” she says. “But now I absolutely understand why he does it. It was the most wonderful experience of my life and I really can’t wait till the next time.”

And there will be a next time. Camilla’s adventure wasn’t just about breaking records, her main mission is to raise awareness among her peers about what global warming is doing to the ice packs. “You learn about it at school, but it’s easy to switch off and think, ‘Our generation didn’t cause this.’ I’m hoping that the fact that I have witnessed the beauty of the Arctic and how it’s in danger of being destroyed will make other kids sit up and listen.”

Eight months ago her father teamed up with Hollywood producer, Danielle Alexandra to set up the Polar Extreme Foundation which aims to educate teenagers about climate change. Together they are working on a movie, Polar Girl, which follows Camilla on her gruelling journey.

Other record-breaking attempts on the North Pole this year have run into difficulty. Ben Saunders from Plymouth had to abandon his attempt to become the fastest person to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole because of equipment failure. Hannah McKeand from Berkshire called off her attempt to get there unaided and alone after falling through the ice.

However, apart from waking up one morning to find that their tents were surrounded by water and they were now a floating island, their expedition went without hiccup. Camilla had to pull her own 80lb sledge across 60 miles of Arctic snow and ice in temperatures of -40*C. To Camilla’s disappointment they didn’t see any polar bears and to her father’s amazement she coped magnificently. “I had no idea she had that kind of strength in her. She was brilliant and didn’t moan once – amazing for a teenager!” he said.

Camilla herself clearly enjoyed the experience. “It’s like walking on diamonds and sparkly jewels,” she said.

Smashing records runs in her family. She is the middle daughter of renowned adventurer, David, and 3 years ago her elder sister Alicia, then 15, became the youngest person to traverse the remote Arctic wilderness of Baffin Island in northern Canada. One sister to go – I wonder what she is going to pull out of the box?!