Saturday, June 30, 2007
Rowing Archive - Ocean Rowing - Woodvale-Challenge Rowing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Bhavik Gandhi (India)
Route: La Restinga de El Hierro, Canary Islands - Antigua
Departure Date: 13:15 GMT - 28th February 2007
Distance: 3000 Miles
Estimated Crossing Time: 50 - 90 Days
Boat: Woodvale Pairs Class - Previously rowed by Oliver Hicks in the North Atlantic
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Latest Positions
Arrived at Jabberwock Beach, Antigua on the 14th June 2007at 22:45 GMT after 106 days, 9 hours and 30 minutes at sea.
Congratulations Bhavik!
Photos courtesy of Ted Martin at Photo fantasy Antigua
Rowing Archive - Ocean Rowing - Woodvale-Challenge Rowing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
The Hindu : Metro Plus Delhi / Environment : Rowing success
Rowing success
Bhavik Gandhi has become the first Asian to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo. He speaks to RANA SIDDIQUI from Antigua
My boat had started leaking.
I had to find the exact location of the leak, I had barely done it when the steering broke…
Triumphant Bhavik Gandhi just before starting on the historic voyage across Atlantic OceanAn engineer by qualification and a rower by passion, Bhavik Gandhi has just made India and Sweden (where he is based now) proud by breaking a record. The record of crossing the Atlantic Ocean unassisted.
Bhavik rowed 3000 nautical miles across the Atlantic from Spain to Antigua in 106 days. He had planned to achieve it in 90 days though. Still, Bhavik has broken the existing record of Emmanuel Coindre of France.
Now in Antigua, Bhavik plans to return to India in two to three weeks. He is trying to regain lost health during the tough rowing which left him about 25 kilograms lighter, for he finished his dry rations midway. Bhavik chose to row rather than sail for two reasons: Sailing is easier, and he wanted to keep it “solo, simple and pure”.
Recalls the 29-year-old, “It was very challenging, both physically and emotionally. I rowed for 6000-plus kilometres. Sailing across the Atlantic takes just 20 days from Spain to Antigua. It had little adventure involved. But I preferred to row to experience that different challenge. I kept it solo because I didn’t want to get into the bureaucratic muddle of equipment hassles, medical assistance, sports crew and so on. It gets very complicated when a ship is following you. Rowing alone would have amounted to my triumph or my loss solely.” Not that it was as simple as he thought it to be. Though he was ready for challenges, he started facing dangers from the third week.
Dangers on the way
“My boat started leaking. I had to find the exact location of the leak, bail the water out and repair it. I had barely done it when the steering broke. The sea was too rough to hold on to. Heavy winds rocked my boat and it went sideways. It rained for the most part at night while I was rowing. I also finished my ration of dry fruits. My requirements were more than 8000 calories as I had assumed. So I survived on powder protein during the last two weeks. It shrank my stomach,” narrates Bhavik with the ease of a saintly man. All this while, he wore Tag Heuer’s specially designed watch for water sports called special Aquaracer, that ensures water resistance to a depth of 300 meters. There were also good things to fall back on. “While it was raining, I saw a bright red light in the clouds. It was very beautiful. It gave me hope.
I had whales and dolphins for company. Most big fishes are attracted by lights. So they would jump onto my boat at night. Next morning I would find lots of them on the boat floor. It used to be quite a funny sight. These amusing moments and fixing and framing the things regularly kept me busy. And the journey taught me how to fight loneliness,” recalls Bhavik nostalgically.
Not that everything happened as he planned it but he was confident enough. He strategised his next move by sensing weather conditions. He had no connections with the land.
But Bhavik is very happy that he made the journey “just in the nick of time”. The reason is, from June, storms start lashing the Atlantic Ocean, making it virtually impossible to row. With previous experience in sailing as well as trekking, Bhavik was prepared to face tough situations. “It’s all in the mindset,” he adds stoically.
The only child of lawyer parents, Bhavik says he is “single and very happy being one.”
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
HINDU INFO: June 2007
Friday, 22 June 2007
Gandhi braving the mighty AtlanticBhavik Gandhi became the first person to row across theAtlantic Ocean unassisted after a 106-day journey.
Bhavik Gandhi began his attempt at becoming the first Indian and first Asian to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean on 28th February, 2007 at 1155 hrs GMT.
He set out from La Restinga in the Canary Islands to Antigua onhis boat 'Miss Olive', covering close to 3000 nautical miles in theprocess. The rower reached Jabberwock Beach,
Antigua after a 106-day voyage.
During his journey, his boat capsized 200 kms from the destinationbut he managed to steer the boat by rowing with a spare oar.
In the process, he also became the first Asian to complete an oceanrowing expedition solo and unassisted.
Born in Mumbai but now a Sweden resident, Gandhi's record will becertified by the Ocean Rowing Society.
Article taken from
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/bhavik-gandhi-rows-acorss-atlantic/42975-3.htmlBhavik Gandhi's Profile
http://www.ibnlive.com/features/bhavik/bhavik_profile.php
Posted by kiranparmar2 at 13:39 0 comments
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