bhavikpress: April 2006

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Letter from Bhavik Gandhi

Letter from Bhavik Gandhi

ibnlive.com

Published on Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 16:09, Updated at Wed, Apr 26, 2006 in Nation section

Tags: Bhavik Gandhi, Atlantic

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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.

Indian embarks on solo Atlantic voyage

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

Canarias24Horas.com "Fracasa en su intento el indio que quiso cruzar el atlántico a remo desde La Gomera "

http://www.canarias24horas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1082&Itemid=4

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Indian attempts a Christopher Columbus route - alone!

060420_MidDay

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

Indian embarks on solo Atlantic voyage

IBNLive : Letter from Bhavik Gandhi

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

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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

All at sea to set a record or two...

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
2006-04-13

Panasonic 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.

IT News Online > India - General - Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 Joins Bhavik Gandhi in Atlantic Crossing

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

Times Of India (Print) "Rowers Atlantic Journey"

Hindustan (Print) "Bhavik's Atlantic Journey"

Navbharat Times (Print) "Bhavik's Journey"

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...