Author George Bernard Shaw, when asked why he hadn t written his autobiography, had responded that everyone s life has a certain predictable pattern to it. You are born, you grow up, do things that
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Bhavik, first Asian to row solo across any ocean
Bhavik, first Asian to row solo across any ocean Hindustan Times, India - 55 minutes ago Indian sailor Bhavik Gandhi has embarked on his quest to become the first Asian to row solo across any ocean. Bhavik set off from the island of La ...
Ocean NEWS - http://ocean.scifiera.com
Bhavik, first Asian to row solo across any ocean
Press Trust of India
New Delhi, December 22, 2006
Indian sailor Bhavik Gandhi has embarked on his quest to become the first Asian to row solo across any ocean. Bhavik set off from the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain on Wednesday.
After being forced to turn back during his first attempt in April, Bhavik is expected to row across the Atlantic and reach his destination, Antigua, 3,000 nautical miles away in around 90 days.
"Only 23 have crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo There have been many failed attempts and many lives lost. It is my hope that it will inspire others to take on such personal challenges," Bhavik said.
If the Indian sailor succeeds, he will break the existing record set by Emmanuel Coindre of France. He will also be the 32nd person to ever achieve a solo Atlantic crossing in a 23 feet rowing boat.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Bhavik embarks on record breaking adventure. | PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. (December , 2006)
Bhavik embarks on record breaking adventure.
Bhavik embarks on record breaking adventure
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Indian sailor Bhavik Gandhi embarked on his quest to become the first first Asian to row solo across any Ocean as he set off from the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands off the coast of...
Bhavik embarks on record breaking adventure. | PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. (December , 2006)
The Tenerife Sun Newspaper Tenerife
€30,000 bill for rower’s ‘rescue
*Towed back – Victor Gavrishev.
OVERZEALOUS coastguards sprang into action to tow a lone Atlantic rower back to port – and then presented him with a bill for €30,000.
But he had not asked for their assistance.
Millionaire businessman Victor Gavrishev, from Kyrgyzstan, had radioed a friend to bring him back to the port of San Sebastian, La Gomera, when the weather turned foul after he had rowed 3½ miles of his 3,000-mile journey to Antigua.
But the coastguard was tuned in to the airwaves and sped to his ‘rescue’. His friend had not even left port by the time they hitched up to Victor’s boat and began bringing him back.
There he was greeted by officers from the Guardia Civil who slapped a demand on him for the €30,000 to cover the cost of towing im him home.
In a flurried exchange of letters he negotiated the bill down to €697 but the incident left a sour taste in the mouths of the five sets of rowers still waiting in San Sebastian for a change in the weather to allow them to make the perilous crossing.
“This was not a rescue,” said Kenneth Crutchlow, of The Ocean Rowing Society, which is coordinating their bid. “It was an unnecessary response to a simple call to a particular individual to render assistance.
“Victor was not in immediate danger but just needed help to get back to port because he could not row against the headwinds he would have to face.”
Under maritime rules a vessel in distress would be expected to set off an alarm that would be responded to by any other vessel in the area to render assistance. No charge would be made for the rescue.
“In this case there was no distress and it was not an emergency,” said Mr Crutchlow. “The coastguard simply jumped the gun.”
The rowers had gathered in La Gomera to accompany veteran ocean rower, Graham Walters, 59, on a lone row to commemorate the ill-fated voyage of Britons David Johnstone and John Hoare who perished in 1966 during the first attempt to row the Atlantic in the 20th century.
Their 15ft craft, Puffin, was later recovered and put on display in a maritime museum. Graham bought it, restored it and brought it to La Gomera to make the 40th anniversary commemoration voyage.
He aims to raise enough funds from sponsorship and donations to buy an ambulance for the London operations of the Red Cross.
Joining him, but acting entirely independently on the row to Antigua will be rowers from several countries.
Victor Gavrishev is an adventurer, formerly with the Russian special paratroops force, film actor and director and now director of a satellite communications company. Unfortunately his company’s coverage does not extend to the Atlantic or he would have been able to call for help by phone instead of using the radio and being picked up by the Canarian coastguard.
Eager to get started, he departed from San Sebastian last Wednesday during an all too brief lull in the stormy weather.
Waiting out the weather are two Englishmen, Stu Turnbull and Ed Baylis, who plan to smash the world record and beat the notorious 40-day barrier for a two-man crew aboard their 27ft boat Memory of Zayed.
Going at the same time will be Dutchmen Wendel Röntgen and Gijs Köning, who will be leaving Gran Canaria for St Maarten in the Dutch Antilles.
And Indian Bhavik Ghandi, the friend Victor called for assistance in La Gomera, aims to be the first Asian to row solo across the Atlantic, in his boat, Miss Olive.
All the crews were waitingthis week for a change in the weather, hoping to be away by Friday at the latest.
Already out there is Andre Mateu, who is attempting to be the first Canarian to row across the Atlantic solo. He left La Gomera on December 2 in his boat Isidoro Arias.
Further across the Atlantic, are Dutch brothers, Michael and Ralph Tuijn, who left La Gomera on September 27 to row to Curacao in the Dutch Antilles. After a brief stopover in Martinique they resumed their journey on December 12.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Bhavik embarks on record breaking adventure
New Delhi, Dec 20: Indian sailor Bhavik Gandhi embarked on his quest to become the first first Asian to row solo across any Ocean as he set off from the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain today.
NewKerala Sports India News - http://www.newkerala.com
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Fairwinds in the Canaries
Sun 3rd December - La Gomera
I got up first thing leaving Kathy in bed and wandered around the town. Found an excellent internet cafe and as I had the flash drive with me I took the opportunity to get up to date with e-mail and the blog. Back to the boat for breakfast, then I went to officially check in at the marina office. They were very pleasant and helpful - and the price for a 9m boat is only 11 Euros a night. We also got the marina to arrange car hire for us for Monday - they get a special rate, and it is only 25 Euros for a Clio.
There are a few Atlantic rowers here preparing their boats,and we talked to one - Bhavik - an Indian livng in Sweden, who is getting ready to do it solo. He seemed remarkably sane for a man about to embark on such an undertaking. The boat is very well equipped, with lots of electrical power provided by numerous solar panels. He is well sponsored, and has no less than three satellite phones. You can find out more on his website here.
In the afternoon Kathy and I wandered around this lovely little town. Through a tunnel near the ferry terminal there is a very pleasant sandy beach with a splendid view of Mt Teide across the water on Tenerife. At over 12,000ft this amazing volcanic cone totally dominates the landscape on a clear day. The Club Nautico lives beside this beach. We couldn't tell if it was open or closed . . . we wandered into the bar, which is set into the cliff with walls of natural rock, but there was no-one about to serve us. We went back through the tunnel and walked up the hill via various steps and narrow streets to the Parador, a hotel at the top of the cliffs in a spectacular setting. They let us have a wander round their elegantly laid out clifftop gardens, in return for which privelege we paid E2.40 each for a bottle of Heineken before descending the hill back to the marina,
Marina La Gomera
Bhavik
San Sebastian
Laurie and Chiffon from Light Blue came over to Fairwinds for sundowners. They are leaving tomorrow for Barbados, and Laurie was very annoyed that his son, who is crewing on the trip, had failed to get the boat back from Tenerife for the farewell meal arranged at the Parador. Light Blue is an amazing boat, designed to a brief which essentially came from a PBO article or series where readers were asked to design their ideal cruising boat.
After Laurie and Chiffon left we decided to head up town and look for something to eat ourselves. We found an excellent restaurant serving local dishes - I had fish of the day and Kathy had lamb, with bread and a litre of house red for E25 total.
Friday, December 1, 2006
Atlantic rowers gather in La Gomera - Tenerife News - News from Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
Atlantic rowers gather in La Gomera
It’s that time of year again, the time when a stream of brave – some might say foolhardy – souls clamber into terrifyingly small boats to row the 3,000 odd miles alone and westward to landfall and glory in the Antilles. Many try, most fail, but to date some 33 have made it across successfully.
The first ever solo crossing was made by a Brit, John Fairfax, who arrived in Florida on July 19 1969, 180 days after leaving Gran Canaria.
The first solo crossing by a woman was that of Tori Munden, an American, who took 81 days to row from Tenerife to Guadeloupe which she reached on December 3 1999.
Weather permitting two hopefuls are scheduled to leave what has become the most popular rowing departure point in the archipelago, San Sebastián de La Gomera, on November 30.
Bhavik Ghandi, a 29-year-old businessman, is hoping to become the first Asian to row the Atlantic. No stranger to endurance challenges, he has taken part in distance runs, mountain climbs, trekked through the Lake Baikal region of Siberia in winter and cycled 3,000 miles from Stockholm, where he is currently based, to Istanbul.
Now Bhavik Ghandi faces his biggest challenge yet: crossing the Atlantic in his little boat Miss Olive.
On the same day another challenger is registered to set out from San Sebastián, mainlander Andreu Mateu of Tarragona who, if he succeeds will also be scoring a first: the first Spaniard to row solo across the Atlantic.
This oarsman lived and worked happily enough in the New York rat race for several years until one fine day he had a road-to-Damascus moment. He left his downtown office, went home and took a 24 hour break to review his life. To make a long story short he sold up his home and embarked on a life of world travel and adventure.
Over the years Andreu Mateu’s achievements have grown to include crossing Europe and Africa by bike and swimming the Gibraltar Straits. He regards the Atlantic row not only as his greatest personal challenge to date, but the realization of his ultimate dream.
Ghandi and Mateu are this season’s trailblazers. In the coming weeks several other boats will be setting out from La Gomera, among them a veteran British vessel with a tragic past. Watch this space for more rowing news!
Atlantic rowers gather in La Gomera - Tenerife News - News from Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
Sunday, November 26, 2006
K2climb.net - K2 and Karakorum by climbers, news
Cross Atlantic Row: Bhavik Gandhi for an Asian first After months of expedition, people often come back to every-day life with a changed outlook. Mahatma Gandhi had an explanation for that, "In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness," he said. Indian Bhavik Gandhi will soon have plenty of time - and silence - to contemplate this. Hoping to become the first Asian to row across the Atlantic Ocean – on November 28 Bhavik will depart from La Gomera (Canary Island) towards Antigua, solo and unsupported.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Letter from Bhavik Gandhi
Letter from Bhavik Gandhi
Published on Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 16:09, Updated at Wed, Apr 26, 2006 in Nation section
Tags: Bhavik Gandhi, Atlantic
E-mail this report | Print this report
ABORTED ATTEMPT: Bhavik Gandhi will now cross the Atlantic only after the hurricane season.
People who read this also read:
Bhavik starts on world record mission
Stockholm-based and former Bombay Scottish student Bhavik Gandhi on Tuesday kicked off his journey in his bid to set a new world record in fastest solo Atlantic crossing.
An adventurer of Indian origin is taking the same route as Christopher Columbus did in an effort to create a world record. Bhavik Gandhi, a Mumbai-born Indian now based in Sweden, wants to conquer the Atlantic, rowing 3000 nautical miles (5000 km) from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua. An intrepid sea adventurer, Gandhi is aiming to enter the record books by becoming the first Asian to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
However, he has recently aborted his attempt to cross the Atlantic till after the hurricane season. Bhavik will now resume his voyage in October this year.
In a letter to IBN live, Bhavik explains why he had to stop mid-voyage.
To the team at IBN Live,
Thanks for the supporting my Atlantic attempt.
Knowing when to turn back is as important as knowing when to push forward.
There is a precarious thin line that separates the striving to achieve something and the obsession with the achievement that excludes common sense.
To survive it is known where to draw the line.
Getting to the starting point has been an incredibly massive task.
From boat design, training, financing, equipment, logistics etc.
Turning back just 4 days into the ocean was a difficult decision, in the light of all the media coverage, anticipation by sponsors, supporters and fans.
However, the setback with bad weather during the first two days and the onset of the hurricane season on the first of June, forced my to re-evaluate the decision to press ahead.
The hurricane season in the Atlantic is not something that could be ignored. While 60 days may have been sufficient for a crossing, the margin of error required (40 days) for a worse case scenario, overran into the hurricane season.
In the interest of protecting life, the project and the investment by the sponsors, supporters and the media, I took the difficult to turn back and wait out the hurricane season.
Therefore, I will re-attempt the record after the hurricane season in October.
Till then, I will be at the Canary Islands for the next 5 months, training.
My progress log on the website will continue as usual.
Thanks again for your support and understanding.
Bhavik
Also visit
Monday, April 24, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
IBNLive : Letter from Bhavik Gandhi
Letter from Bhavik Gandhi
ibnlive.com
ABORTED ATTEMPT: Bhavik Gandhi will now cross the Atlantic only after the hurricane season.
An adventurer of Indian origin is taking the same route as Christopher Columbus did in an effort to create a world record. Bhavik Gandhi, a Mumbai-born Indian now based in Sweden, wants to conquer the Atlantic, rowing 3000 nautical miles (5000 km) from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua. An intrepid sea adventurer, Gandhi is aiming to enter the record books by becoming the first Asian to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
However, he has recently aborted his attempt to cross the Atlantic till after the hurricane season. Bhavik will now resume his voyage in October this year.
In a letter to IBN live, Bhavik explains why he had to stop mid-voyage.
To the team at IBN Live,
Thanks for the supporting my Atlantic attempt.
Knowing when to turn back is as important as knowing when to push forward.
There is a precarious thin line that separates the striving to achieve something and the obsession with the achievement that excludes common sense.
To survive it is known where to draw the line.
Getting to the starting point has been an incredibly massive task.
From boat design, training, financing, equipment, logistics etc.
Turning back just 4 days into the ocean was a difficult decision, in the light of all the media coverage, anticipation by sponsors, supporters and fans.
However, the setback with bad weather during the first two days and the onset of the hurricane season on the first of June, forced my to re-evaluate the decision to press ahead.
The hurricane season in the Atlantic is not something that could be ignored. While 60 days may have been sufficient for a crossing, the margin of error required (40 days) for a worse case scenario, overran into the hurricane season.
In the interest of protecting life, the project and the investment by the sponsors, supporters and the media, I took the difficult to turn back and wait out the hurricane season.
Therefore, I will re-attempt the record after the hurricane season in October.
Till then, I will be at the Canary Islands for the next 5 months, training.
My progress log on the website will continue as usual.
Thanks again for your support and understanding.
Bhavik
Also visit
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Bhavik Gandhi Rowing From Spain to Antigua - Day 4 « Barbados Free Press
Bhavik Gandhi Rowing From Spain to Antigua - Day 4
We just stumbled across this on the web this morning. A chap named Bhavik Gandhi is on Day 4 of an attempt to row solo across the Atlantic in what amounts to a homemade plywood and resin boat. "Homemade" is a bit of a misnomer as the craft is very specialized and well equipped with all the latest technical gadgets.
But alone is alone in the middle of the Atlantic. The journey from Spain to Antigua is expected to take 90 days or so and the Barbados Free Press will be following Mr. Gandhi's progress - if only to day dream for a bit about what it is like to not have to go to work every morning.
You can visit Mr. Gandhi's website here and even send him a message as he rows.
Good luck, Mr. Gandi - and row hard because hurricane season is fast approaching.
Bhavik Gandhi Rowing From Spain to Antigua - Day 4 « Barbados Free Press
All at sea to set a record or two...
All at sea to set a record or two...
Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi April 15, 2007
Author George Bernard Shaw, when asked why he hadn’t written his autobiography, had responded that everyone’s life has a certain predictable pattern to it. You are born, you grow up, do things that grown-ups do, and then one day you die. Shaw saw no point in chronicling this mundane everyday existence that most people live. Bhavik Gandhi, by contrast, by the age of 27 years has already done and experienced enough to fill several books. Right now Gandhi, a venture capitalist and an adventure sports enthusiast, is trying to become the first Indian and Asian to row solo across the Atlantic.
Speaking via satellite, phone Gandhi says, “I’m lucky to be speaking to you right now as two days ago I was almost run over by a huge ship.” This is just one of the many hurdles that the vast ocean has to offer. Having completed almost 40 days of being at sea, he hopes to complete the expedition in another 75 days.
Gandhi set off solo across the Atlantic Ocean on February 28, 2007 from La Restinga on the island of El Hierro off the coast of Spain and is expected to reach his destination, Antigua, 3,000 nautical miles away, later than the expected 90 days. “It looks like it will take a lot more time as something or the other has been slowing me down,” he says. ... Read
domain-b.com : One man, one boat, one ToughBook and 3,000 nautical miles to row
One man, one boat, one ToughBook and 3,000 nautical miles to row news
Our Corporate Bureau
15 April 2006
domain-b.com : One man, one boat, one ToughBook and 3,000 nautical miles to row
Panasonic Corporation: One man, one boat, one ToughBook and 3,000 nautical miles to row
New Delhi: Bhavik Gandhi, a former Bombay Scottish student has started a world record attempt for fastest solo Atlantic crossing - the first ever by an Indian. The voyage commences from La Gomera in Spain and ends at Antigua in Barbados.
Gandhi''s sole companion during this expedition will be Panasonic''s rugged waterproof ToughBook CF-29 laptop with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) as an essential navigational gear and his only connection with the rest of the world. The Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 selected by Ghandhi can work in extreme weather conditions prevalent in Atlantic.
Gandhi will be using a 23-ft rowing boat and will follow a route similar to that taken by Christopher Columbus. He will spend about three months (90 days estimated) at sea rowing solo, non-stop and unsupported, covering a total distance of 3,000 nautical miles (5,000 kilometers). Only 32 people in history have attempted such a record in the past.
In 1966 Chay Blyth and John Ridgway became the first pair to row across the Atlantic in the 20th Century, crossing from Cape Cod to Ireland in 92 days.
"Professional gear is as important as personal grit and I feel quite assured about the expedition armed with a Panasonic ToughBook CF-29," says Gandhi, who seemed confident about his dare devil attempt. "It is the most rugged laptop to withstand the vagaries of the expedition unlike other brands available in the market and as my sole companion, it will not just help me navigate through the Atlantic but also be my only connection with civilization.
domain-b.com : One man, one boat, one ToughBook and 3,000 nautical miles to row
Thursday, April 13, 2006
IT News Online > India - General - Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 Joins Bhavik Gandhi in Atlantic Crossing
anasonic ToughBook CF-29 Joins Bhavik Gandhi in Atlantic Crossing
IT News Online Staff
2006-04-13Panasonic announced that its rugged waterproof ToughBook CF-29 laptop is accompanying rower Bhavik Ghandhi in his attempt to break the world record for the fastest solo Atlantic crossing, the first by an Indian from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua in Barbados.
Panasonic said the ToughBook CF-29 laptop with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) is an essential navigational gear and can work in extreme weather conditions prevalent in Atlantic. The laptop is Bhavik's only connection with the rest of the world.
Canarias 7. El Hierro. Parte del puerto el primer asiático que atravesará el Atlántico a remo
El indio Bhavik Gandhi, el primer asiático en intentar atravesar en solitario el Atlántico a remo, partió del Puerto de San Sebastián de La Gomera rumbo a Antigua en el Caribe.
Bhavik Gandhi deberá recorrer las cerca de 3.000 millas náuticas que separan la isla colombina de Antigua, travesía que estima realizar en 90 días a bordo de un barco de poco más de 7 metros de eslora, para lo que planea remar unas 10 o 12 horas diarias, comer alimentos deshidratados y beber agua desalinizada.
Gandhi partió de la isla colombina con una suave brisa del Nordeste y decidió en el último momento cambiar la ruta prevista y poner rumbo a Cabo Verde, para más tarde aprovechar las corrientes que le impulsen hacia el Caribe.
El asiático de 28 años, que nació en Mumbai, India, y que vive actualmente en Suecia, lleva en la Isla más de quince días preparando su hazaña, que de llevar a cabo con éxito, sumará su nombre al de otras 22 personas que han conseguido hasta el momento cruzar el océano a remo en solitario.
Ningún barco le acompañará en su aventura y su único contacto con el exterior será a través de dos teléfonos vía satélite y de un ordenador, a través del que dará cuenta diaria del desarrollo de la prueba en su página de Internét www.bhavik.com. Gandhi dijo que se necesita una gran preparación mental, y aseguró no tener miedo.
reto personal
Bhavik Gandhi aseguró que esta prueba se trata de un reto personal, con el que pretende demostrar que los asiáticos también pueden participar en este tipo de pruebas. «Hace año y medio surgió la idea de embarcarme, contacté con el primer sueco en cruzar el Atlántico a remo en solitario y me puso al corriente».
Canarias 7. El Hierro. Parte del puerto el primer asiático que atravesará el Atlántico a remo
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Gandhi first Asian to attempt solo row across the Atlantic. | PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. (April , 2006)
Gandhi first Asian to attempt solo row across the Atlantic.
Gandhi first Asian to attempt solo row across the Atlantic
New Delhi, Apr 11 (PTI) Rower Bhavik Gandhi today set off from La Gomera in Spain in his attempt to become the first Asian to row across the Atlantic Ocean non-stop all by himself.
Gandhi will sail for nearly...
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