The Times - debate

12 August 2004

The cruel sea

MERE words will never express my admiration and respect for what Mark Stubbs and his team have achieved. They have demonstrated all that is best in sport — bravery, team spirit, enthusiasm and determination. In their meticulous planning and preparation they have faced down the North Atlantic and survived to tell the tale. They will be a source of inspiration for generations to come. The world would be a duller place without them. Congratulations to you, gentlemen!

Andy Clark, Sevenoaks, Kent

Force of nature

IF YOU read the expedition reports (www.gopinklady.com) you will notice all of the rowers’ observations about wildlife (whales, dolphins, sharks, birds), sea conditions and the beauty of the firmament. For 39 days we were able to see the Atlantic and the passion of nature through their eyes.

This incredible row helps to remind us just how small our world is. Perhaps the highly temperamental weather, fierce weather systems and rogue waves are a hint from Mother Nature that we should embrace passionately the fragile environment we call Earth.

The Pink Lady adventure lets us admire the ocean’s magnitude at arm’s length. I hope that, thanks to the achievements of adventurous spirits like the Pink Lady crew, we can be reminded of our planet’s virtues and ultimately look after it better. Thank you, Pink Lady.

Mike Beaver, Redhill, Surrey

Try again

THE crew of Pink Lady were very well prepared and professional. They carried all the appropriate safety equipment, they were tracked constantly and they were attempting to set a worthwhile record.

They were very unlucky to have encountered such poor weather conditions, which were very much unseasonable. Those who attempt to achieve such things are easily mocked by those who never will. I hope they regroup and show true spirit in returning to the North Atlantic Ocean.

Simon Chalk, Newton Abbot, Devon

Something silly

IT IS August, so it must be Monty Python time again. I hope someone ensures that all the rescue costs are paid for by the rowers. Why not use a bath-tub or a pedalo next time? This adventure is typical of people who have no idea about the real world. Other lives should not be endangered by such antics. Were they really surprised by a storm in the Atlantic? Take up Scrabble, guys.

Mike Slack, MikeSlack16@aol.com

The I of the storm

I HAVE just read the Pink Lady article by Jonathan Gornall (August 10). It would appear to me that this journey was nothing more than an ego trip. There are countless “I”s and “we”s throughout the story, with only a passing reference to the rescuing ship and her crew. As an ex-seaman and captain I appreciate the high level of skill and seamanship required to execute this kind of rescue. It is a pity Mr Gornall does not appear to share this feeling or, if he does, he is too busy writing about himself to refer to it.

A. Dormand,
Cramlington, Northumberland

Captains courageous

THE rescue of the four Atlantic rowers certainly received plenty of press and television coverage — saving lives at sea under such circumstances always does. But not enough has been said about the outstanding seamanship of the master of the Scandinavian Reefer. He would have already been nursing his ship and cargo of bananas to reach his destination with the minimum amount of damage in heavy weather, pallets not being the best cargo in heavy rolling. On receipt of the distress he would most likely have had to alter course and speed to close with the position, again putting his ship under severe stress.

The four rowers may not have realised it but their most dangerous time was when the master was trying to come downwind in heavy seas and swell and avoid riding over the rubber raft. His ship did not have a deep draft and his speed downwind would have been considerable. With his ship rolling and rising possibly 30ft in the water, the raft could very easily have gone under the stern — which would have proved disastrous.

Little was said about this in the press or on the television. I do not recall seeing any of the rowers thank the master and his crew publicly for saving their lives, although they surely would have done so in private.

As for “rogue waves” and “freak” weather, forget it. The situation was the remains of an Atlantic hurricane and predictable for the time of year. The wave that struck the Pink Lady was what we sailors always called “the seventh wave”.

Captain J. R. Inniss,
Beaworthy, Devon

All at sea

HAVING recently returned from a stressful crossing of the Atlantic by yacht, I am full of admiration for the thoughtful and penetrating account that Jonathan Gornall has managed to produce so quickly. Eight weeks on I have only just finished writing up my journal.

I entirely agree that being taken to the limits helps us to focus on the ordinary things of life and to ask what it is really about. In a sense, I have been “floating” ever since. Each day now I wake up and give thanks for the ordinary things with which I am surrounded, and have more time for the friends and family who mean so much to me.

In my case it was not the elements (though we did ride out one gale for 32 hours on parachute anchor, when two rogue waves crashed on to the cabin roof, opening up cracks) so much as the crew. Like Pink Lady, we crossed from west to east, setting off from Florida. Once again there were four of us. One refused to continue beyond Bermuda as he was so upset at the tense and stressful atmosphere on board. I decided to continue with the other two, but after a threatened stabbing in mid-Atlantic and unremitting tension I was hugely relieved to reach the Azores in one piece and get off. I too felt that I had had a narrow escape.

However difficult the experience was, it was in a curious way more rewarding than a straightforward crossing would have been, in the same way that bereavements, illness and disasters in ordinary life can bring the best out of us and take us to our deepest moments of perception.

Name and address withheld

Fruitful journey

IT’S good that the Pink Lady crew were sponsored by an apple company. They were raising funds for the British Heart Foundation, which tells us we should eat more fruit and vegetables. Fitting, then, that the Scandinavian Reefer that picked the crew up was carrying bananas and pineapples.

Ed Beaver, Reigate, Surrey

Adventured out

BROUGHT up on a diet of The Guinness Book of Records, Thor Heyerdahl and the Apollo Moon missions, I relished the achievements of the great adventurers. Now, sadly, I feel that those who put their lives at risk should take out adequate insurance, so that the taxpayer doesn’t end up footing the bill for a costly rescue.

Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby