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Rowing Across the Atlantic 102

Posted by michael from the gosh-are-my-arms-tired dept.
An Anonymous Coward writes: "Wired News has an article about 68 men and women who are rowing across the Atlantic. "All 34 boats in this year's race are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and practically all the rowers have satellite phones and other wireless gadgets with Internet access.""
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Rowing Across the Atlantic More

Rowing Across the Atlantic

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  • What's the purpose of starting in winter? Or are they rowing in the Southern Hemisphere? Even so, this seems like a stupid idea.

    Rowing over a major ocean during the end of storm season through winter is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. I wish they would think before they do stuff like this.

    But I suppose the contestants, I suppose that's what you'd call them, get some sort of rush out of doing crap like this. I just don't understand what kind of rush it is.

    Furthermore, I don't understand why sporting news belongs on /., but that's another story.
  • But do the GPS and gadgets make it newsworthy? Perhaps the map-reading and navigation skills necessary? Maybe it's the strong and hearty people?

  • Wireless gadgets (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    and practically all the rowers have satellite phones and other wireless gadgets with Internet access

    Good ! they can read slashdot !

  • A friend did this (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Tri0de ( 182282 )
    A friend at my old gym (Andrew Halsey) did this. Wanted to point out what an epileptic could do. Of course somebody asked what should happen if had a seizure; his reply (thick Brit Accent)well then I'd make some bloody good time then.." I remember his GPS was a unit aout the size of a briefcase.

  • Can someone please give me the contract to supply these guys with 802.11b wireless kit?

    Hmmm, just think of all those floating wireless access points...the ultimate roving (rowing?) LAN.

  • Gulf stream. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by VA Software ( 533136 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @05:50PM (#2579585) Homepage
    The race began Oct. 7 at Los Gigantes Harbor in Tenerife, Spain, and ends in Port St. Charles, Barbados.

    Is there a good reason they're rowing against the gulf stream [tudelft.nl] and the prevailing winds [wisc.edu]?

    As if rowing across the atlantic isn't hard enough already
    • Maybe it's not supposed to be easy. Maybe it's supposed to be fun! those jocks... heh. anything for a thrill. oooh.
    • Is there a good reason they're rowing against the gulf stream and the prevailing winds?
      I don't know what you are thinking, but the Gulf Stream runs along the North American continent. The actual course that the rowers will take goes no where near the Gulf Stream. And yes, they will be going with the prevailing winds and currents.

      This map shows the courses that rowers took during a similar race in 1997.
      http://www.challengebusiness.com/row/tracking1997. htm [challengebusiness.com]

    • Re:Gulf stream. (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      They're not rowing against the Gulf Stream or against the prevailing winds. The Gulf Stream flows North up the western Atlantic (North American East Coast) and West across the North Atlantic. Since the race is from Spain to the Caribbean, the Gulf Stream won't affect the rowers. The prevailing winds, the Trade Winds, in the East and Mid Atlantic blow in a Westerly direction this time of year. That's why they're starting now. Even if they don't row, they'll eventually be blown to Barbados. Hurricane season has also passed, so it's fairly safe.

      The same conditions that dictate that the race should be done in this season made it inevitable that Columbus would get to America and powered the sailing ship trade by between the Europe, the Caribbean and the Colonies.

  • Overboard! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Asahi Super Dry ( 531752 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @05:53PM (#2579591)
    According to the article, some of the rowers are opting to just toss their gadgets into the sea to reduce weight. I guess that says something about their actual utility.
    • Or rather it shows that they may be getting some kind of sea sickness---imagine rowing across the ocean without any kind of navigation... I suppose if they know how to guide themselves with stars they may be ok.
  • It's still a boat. When someone bicycles across, call me.

  • But do they have OnStar? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Wordsmith ( 183749 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @06:01PM (#2579612) Homepage
    They'll need OnStar if they want ads to notify them of all the great sites around the Atlantic.

  • Original Record (Score:3, Informative)

    by Overcoat ( 522810 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @06:04PM (#2579613)
    The original trans-Atlanitc rowing record (Canary Islands to Barbados in 41 days) was set by two New Zealanders, Phil Stubbs [oceanrowing.com], and Robbie Hamill back in 1997. Their fully-laden boat weighed over 2000 pounds. Stubbs later died in a plane crash.

  • Ocean Rowing Society (Score:5, Informative)

    by Barnum ( 520887 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @06:11PM (#2579623) Homepage
    if you're interested in this sort of thing, I suggest you head over to OceanRowing.com [oceanrowing.com]. I worked for the director of the Ocean Rowing Society, Kenneth Crutchlow, for a year compiling metric assloads of data about every single ocean rower who ever attempted a crossing. It was definitely one of the strangest jobs I've ever held, but after spending so much time surrounded by this close knit community of people who want to test the limits of human endurance, you begin to understand what drives someone to want to do this. Every rower has their own personal drama to tell, and it is a riveting experience to hear them describe their lone rowboats amid 50 foot swells in mid-Atlantic hurricanes or having to jump out of their boat to spear fish when food runs out halfway across the Pacific.
  • A crazy Brazilian called Amir Klink rowed from Africa to Brazil by himself.

  • wireless internet? (Score:3, Funny)

    by usernumber31337 ( 512825 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @06:26PM (#2579656)
    I can see it now:
    "Hey, why aren't you rowing?"
    "I'm posting to slashdot!"
  • ... is that it's possible to go take a vacation in a remote location to and still stay in touch with the rest of the world and know where you are. Somehow I picture that editorial cartoon with a guy on a beach receiving a fax. Is this story really all that big a deal from a technological standpoint?

  • Why does the people who wrote the interactive map applet on the site think that they need Full Permissions on my JVM? What file IO can they possibly need to do for example. Is it really that difficult to write the manifest to only request the permissions you really need?

    And why is it broadcasting UDP packets to 255.255.255.255 according to Tiny Personal Firewall? Is there something I don't realise about this or is the applet just doing funny stuff?

  • > This isn't remarkably more dangerous
    > than sitting down at a Nautilus machine for
    > the equivalent ammount of time

    Wow! I never knew *Nautilus* was that dangerous!
    I'll be sticking to Konqueror from now on then.

  • That's a long extension cord! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by emag ( 4640 ) <slashdot AT gurski DOT org> on Saturday November 17, 2001 @06:37PM (#2579681) Homepage
    I know that my phone and other "electronic gadgets" tend to last a week with light-to-moderate usage. Either these folks are carrying some rather long extension cords, or have something else to recharge all their batteries.

    Either way, I can see why people are opting to toss stuff overboard, as I can't even begin to imagine the additional weight all those chargers would be adding...

  • Not about GPS and Satellite Phones... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by DaoudaW ( 533025 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @08:59PM (#2580007)
    While the rowers say they are grateful for the wireless perks like GPS and satellite phones, Vose says the gadgets are not giving the rowers an unfair advantage.

    Both Wired and Slashdot seem to emphasize the technology. This is an amazing, grueling physical trial. The tech is for us to follow them and rescue if necessary. Their main tech tool is the business end of an oar.
  • I just so happened to have spent a night in Kilkee, Ireland in late September on the night that "Retired Chcago cariologist Nenad Belic, 62, was trying to become the thir person to row a boat from Cape Cod to Europe when he ran into trouble in a storm."
    I don't know if GPS would have helped or not, I can attest to the storm that night. But more than a month later only boat turned up.
  • Welcome to the Open Source Travel Agency...
  • I think I speak for everyone when I say... Don't these people have anything better to do?
  • Too bloody right mate. Us Kiwis prove how stupid we really are. Surrounded by water on all sides, we prove that we can conquer someone else's ocean too !!!!!
  • Umm maybe u didnt read the article. It said Spain to Barbados. I dont think either lies in southern hemisphere. (Maybe barbados, not sure but I doubt it)

  • Yesterday I read a news artical about a US doctor that tried to row from cape cod to Europe.

    On the 30th of september he went missing (story) [ireland.com] and yesterday they found this boat of the coast of Ireland (story) [ireland.com]. He had all the electronic equipment that the participants of this race have .. but that did not help him ....

    You can see his progress [oceanrowing.com] on the Ocean Rowing Society web page [oceanrowing.com] until the 30rd of september. On their web site you can also find more information about his journey.

    His younger brother has created a web site [gatech.edu] with even more information

    So those who say that the electronic equipment makes it easier ... should think again

    Rigolo
  • This isn't such a big deal - it's simply a marketing ploy to sell more stuff to the masses. This feat was performed many times, over 700 years ago, by Norse explorers. This is without all the modern conveniences of GPS, the Internet - you name it.

    Panzies. :)

  • A few years back a guy swam accross... He pushed a covered sled that had a bed, radio, GPS, etc... Took him about a month to get across. Sorry I dont have more info, does anybody remember this guy? He might be on the rowing team.
  • What a bunch of pussies using phones and GPS. If it was a real challenge they would just set out and then we'd just wait till someone arrived. Gutless simps.
  • Amyr Klink was the first man to row across the Atlantic, ALONE -- no GPS, no Sat-Phone, no internet. Following the prevalent winds and the streams, of course. You can get one his books at Amazon. Very worth reading, he's a man who can make dreams come true. If you can read portuguese, go to: http://www.amyrklink.com.br and take a look at his newest boats and projects.
  • I bet if the got wiped out by a rogue wave they would blame it on /bin/laden

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