Calm before the storm?

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I've recently had a couple of nights of not sleeping at all well, being awake until after 0200hrs. I though this might be due to drinking hot chocolate before bed, so cut that out and things improved, but I had it again the night before last, and there were no effects at all. So, I'm just putting it down to not being mentally tired.

 

A few days ago, after a particularly bad night's sleep, I was up early (for Rockall time) as I had an interview with Ben Fogle for NBC first thing. This was recorded by them via Skype and me on my video camera here, and will be cut together later for transmission in the USA, and hopefully in the UK too if one of the networks picks it up from them. Ben was as nice as you would expect, recounting his trip here, which was great as he'd just stepped off a plane from Alaska apparently. I have to briefly mention the fact that Inmarsat are being amazing, allowing me the airtime to do Skype interviews and upload the video I've recorded, to NBC.

 

That took much of the morning, after which I did some general admin and then went out about the rock to carry out some minor tasks like measuring distances between the fixings in the rock (might be useful for someone to know at some point) and cutting away some old ropes which might tangle my ropes and lowering rig when I eventually come to leave here.

 

I was treated to some amazing scenes over the past few days, what with all the whales around, changes in sea state and the sun glimmering on the waves. It's starting to become very apparent to me that as well as a challenge, it is also a privilege to see some of the sites I have already seen here, and to have had some of the experiences. It's almost a shame there's no-one to share them with!

 

I have also made a start on mapping out the summit plateau in detail. I had to time my start with the wind as I didn't want the turbine to clock me on the head, and as it was an Easterly the blades were facing away from the end where you climb up onto the top. The summit plateau was created when the Royal Engineers blew the top off Rockall to facilitate the installation of a light beacon (now defunct), and there are still the parallel drill tracks across the top where the explosives were set. This nicely forms the basis for a grid, and I managed to measure the width of these grooves and the distances between them before the wind started to pick up, as forecast.

 

I retreated to the RockPod and the wind continued to build through the day until it was up past 30mph by evening. It's just not sensible to be out and about in those conditions, even with a harness and life line, especially when the rock is wet and slippery, so I was pod-bound for the rest of the morning and all of the rest of the day. This meant more reading: I finished Jay-Z's 'Decoded' and started Steven (Aerosmith) Tyler's autobiography, before completing some more harmonica lessons. The basic tunes I'm on at the moment sound to me like they're supposed to, and there's some basic technique work at this stage too, which seems to be going well.

 

Around 1600hrs the VHF came to life and I spoke with John (?Walker) who along with his wife Janet on their boat 'Jay Walker' had come out, via a night's stop at St. Kilda, from the Outer Hebrides. It had taken them three days all told, and they expected to be heading to Northern Ireland on their return, due to the prevailing wind direction.

 

Yesterday, I woke up to glorious weather: the wind was still high but had dropped away from the night before, blue skies and a choppy sea. The photo is of me squinting into the bright sunshine shortly after waking up! (Why does sunshine make me sneeze?) The gannets had returned; I watched them diving for fish whilst the minke cruised past, and wondered if the whales ever get hit by the birds. It's amazing how such a day can lift your spirits, particularly after being pod-bound like the day before. I was visited by a small brown bird, who was a bit bedraggled when he first appeared, but soon dried off and looked like a brown starling; maybe a juvenile? He appeared, wet again, later, so he was either bathing somewhere or was getting caught in the spray lower down.

 

It was a quiet day and I took the opportunity to enjoy the weather, taking a lot of photographs and video of the RockPod from various angles and the sea crashing round the sides of Rockall and meeting on the other side in a maelstrom of foam and spray. At the end of the day I had a telephone interview over the Wireless Innovation IsatPhone2 with The Sun. It went really well, and they're hoping to publish something in the next week or so, which will hopefully raise the profile of the expedition further and generate some more sponsorship for Help for Heroes.

 

However, the evening brought my first equipment issue since I've been here. I'd noted over the past few days that the gas canister didn't appear to be screwing onto the stove's valve as easily as it should, and had put this down to the thread on the disposable canister deteriorating through use. The thread failed when I went to use it last night, but not on the canister, on the stove, which is surprising as I've never had issues with these canisters and this make of stove before. I was too tired to look at it properly, but came to the conclusion that it was probably beyond repair and had a cold supper. More disappointing was the likelihood that I may not have another hot drink on the expedition.

 

So, this morning's first task was to look at the stove with fresh eyes. I confirmed that the thread had failed but that the seal was still intact, and the canister would now just push onto the valve. With a couple of spare large pipe clamps I have managed to strap the valve firmly onto the canister, and having monitored it for leaks, it appears to be a tighter fit than when it was just screwed together, which is great. I will obviously keep monitoring the set up for leaks, but I'm confident this will now last until the end of the expedition. I celebrated with a nice hot cup of tea!

 

Tomorrow is supposed to be a very calm day, but as they say: the calm before the storm. From Tuesday next week there are forecast winds in excess of 30mph, gusting up to 50mph (Strong Gale), with rain, and remaining that way for several days. I've already had winds in excess of 30mph, but only for short periods, so this promises to be the worst weather I've experience yet, and may limit my ability to Tweet and update the blog for a while. To prepare, after a hot breakfast, I checked the guy wires on the wind turbine, tightening a couple in the process, and the ratchet straps tying the pod to the rock. The straps were fine, but I tidied up the loose ends so they don't hit the pod and also double checked the straps holding all the barrels and empty water containers down.

 

Nick Hancock FRGS

www.rockallsolo.com
Facebook.com/RockallSolo
Twitter: @RockallNick #RockallSolo
Sponsor Nick in aid of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo

Please forward all Press and Media enquiries regarding the expedition to Iain MacIver
Tel: 0845 860 2411
Email: rockall2014@promessage.com

Day 20

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(Just in case you didn't see my Twitter link to my blog on The Guardian's website yesterday, they very kindly published the blog for twenty days in their 'Scotland Blog' section online. I've repeated here for those who missed it.)

 

Twenty days I've now been out here on Rockall, on my own. It's an important milestone for me psychologically for a number of reasons: its one third of the way through this sixty day challenge, but perhaps of more immediate importance, it marks the half way point to the solo occupation record of forty days, set my Tom McClean in 1985, almost thirty years ago. Although this goal, and that of the group record at forty two days, were always part of the reason for coming here, they have now assumed a far greater role in me being able to break this 'occupation' up into reasonable and handle-able chunks of time.

 

Other markers, some more minor but perhaps no less psychologically important, have come and gone: the first change of underwear, the first Calor LP Gas canister to be finished, the first twenty five litre jerry can of water to be emptied; and others have yet to arrive: the half way point for the expedition at thirty days, the last twenty days, the last ten, the arrival of the Kilda Cruises boat to take me back to civilisation; in what is essentially becoming a mental exercise in time management.

 

There have been some definite highs already, and thankfully no significant lows. The only worries I've had so far have been relatively minor: an infected cut on my finger, sustained during the landing, which has cleared up; constructing the wind turbine on my own in a fairly exposed and precarious position on top of Rockall; and the first couple of times it stopped through lack of wind (which didn't last!). The highs have been things like having the time to watch and enjoy shearwaters gliding centimetres above the waves, wondering how they manage not to hit them, and realising yesterday that there are actually two minke whales here, not just one, and watching them hunt, cruise around and blowing at the surface.

 

Time has definitely slowed, or sped up depending on how you look at it, and I'm definitely into a routine now: I don't get up before nine in the morning, as it eats into the time I have here; ablutions and breakfast now take about an hour; I tend to read or write my blog in the morning and watch what's happening outside the RockPod, be that trawlers passing by or the wildlife doing something entertaining; lunch is around two in the afternoon; and then, dependant on the weather forecast, I'll usually do whatever tasks I've set for myself outside the pod for the day. Getting to sleep in the evenings has been tricky, partially because its light so late here at this time of year, and probably more importantly, I'm not mentally tired so my mind has been racing with plans and ideas of things to do whilst I'm here, which keeps me awake.

 

Early on, these afternoon tasks were larger and more time consuming than they are now, securing the RockPod to Rockall or setting up the Ampair wind turbine, for example. Now it tends to be housekeeping: bringing rations into the pod, taking rubbish out to the kit barrels, provided by Smith's of Dean Drums, and measuring and recording as much about this place as I can whilst I'm here through a photographic record and also by measuring, drawing and mapping key features such as the derelict light housing on the summit, the summit itself, fixings left in the rock by previous expeditions, and the wildlife.

 

I've still some tasks to start, as I'm trying to spread things out as much as possible, so I will have things to keep me entertained towards the end of the expedition. These include Italian lessons, which I finally started yesterday, a number of the scientific research projects I've been asked to complete, and I've only picked up the harmonica twice, so I really need to get into that. I am, however, really enjoying reading some of the e-books on my Ergo laptop, which I never seem to have time to do at home. Although I had grand ideas of reading 'War and Peace' or some of the classics, so far it's been autobiographies such as 'Mr. Nice' and currently Ice-T's book.

 

The weather has been good to me too, so far. I've not seen any synoptic charts, but it has been very stable out here, with a constant temperature of thirteen to fourteen degrees centigrade, winds averaging ten to fifteen miles per hour, and very little rain. There have been hotter days with no wind, when I've had to shelter in the shade of the RockPod with the hatches and vent open to get some breeze. Similarly, there have been gusts of up to thirty miles per hour and rain, but the rain has never lasted more than half an hour and the winds soon die down. The RockPod is generally around eighteen to twenty degrees inside, even with the hatches open, it being heated by my body heat, my electronic equipment, and the odd occasion when my wind turbine charge controller has dumped heat. The internal temperature is also stable, I suspect, because of the amount of drinking water in the containers inside acting as a heat sink.

 

Mentally, I'm in a good place too, and I'm looking forward to the next twenty days: breaking the two occupation records and the half way point of the expedition; and then the run into heading home. I think my mental state has been greatly helped by modern technology and Inmarsat satellite communications, which have enabled me to not only Tweet (@RockallNick) and post my blogs, which give me something to write, but more importantly for me mentally, has allowed me to speak to and see family and friends via Skype. Tom McClean, when he was here, only had a VHF radio which would make this a very different experience all together.

 

To find out more about the expedition, please visit www.rockallsolo.com. Please donate in support of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo, and follow me daily on Twitter @RockallNick.

 

Nick Hancock FRGS

www.rockallsolo.com
Facebook.com/RockallSolo
Twitter: @RockallNick #RockallSolo
Sponsor Nick in aid of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo

Please forward all Press and Media enquiries regarding the expedition to Iain MacIver
Tel: 0845 860 2411
Email: rockall2014@promessage.com

Into the mist...

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The days are fairly quiet now, and I suspect will only get slower, hence the lack of a blog post for three or four days. They've also started to merge a bit in my mind, so I'm glad I'm keeping a diary and have these blogs to refer back to. Excuse me if I repeat myself.

 

In the past few days I got the sad news about Niall Iain of NY2SY having to be rescued due to a back injury. Such a shame after all his hard work and planning. We've been in contact in the run up to our respective departures and have been planning our expeditions concurrently, with set backs and funding issues at similar times. We even met as finalists in the Kukri Adventure Scholarship last year, and NI leant me a couple of solar panels for Rockall Solo, which came of his boat before her refit. I'm glad he's safe, but disappointed for him, and I hope that his boat gets picked up and returned to him soon.

 

There's been a few mile stones over the past few days: I finished my first water carrier yesterday, which thankfully means I've more room inside the pod now, which definitely improved sleeping last night, and today I finished my first Calor gas canister, which is not bad as I've had at least two boils a day for twelve and a bit days from it.

 

Yesterday there was a low fog, which restricted my visibility to around 50 metres in all directions for most of the day. It was good to have a change of 'scenery', not being able to see so far, and with the sea being calmer, these subtle alterations in what I can see answers the question of whether I would get bored with looking at the sea all day – no. Whether it was because the sea was calmer, and therefore more predictable, the minke whale can very close to the rock, within thirty metres, into shallower water, so I got a much better look at him.

 

Today, the sea has been the calmest yet, with barely a ripple on the surface and a very slight swell. I think, as a result, one of the trawlers PD120 'Harvest Hope' came much closer than normal. We watched each other in the binoculars for a while and even traded a wave. I didn't try and raise them on the VHF as I don't want too much human contact yet for fear of starting to crave it, so will save the 'treat' of talking to the nearby boats until I need to.

 

This morning I was out and about on the rock measuring the height of the south facing cliff above my ledge, and noting details of the old light housing. I decided to do this today as there was no wind, which meant the turbine had stopped again, making the prospect of venturing onto the summit much safer. Members of the Greenpeace team who fitted the beacon have asked me to take some specific photographs of it in the hope that they can work out where their design failed. In the afternoon, I measured the metal frame attached to the south face, which I assume used to hold a solar panel associated with the light beacon as there is a groove carved into the rock leading from it up to the beacon, before the wind picked up and it became colder so I retreated to the RockPod and continued with some reading.

 

In birding news, both the pigeons have definitely gone now, however the brown one was tracked down to an owner in Northern Ireland. The first puffin landed today, I managed to get a couple of good shots, and a new mystery bird has arrived: I just caught a flash out of the corner of my eye, but its small (sparrow or wren sized) and dark. More details will follow if I get a proper look at it. I think there's a wren which is endemic to St. Kilda, but can't imagine it is this far out, particularly as the wind has been low and in the wrong direction for the past few days.

 

PS: the photo is taken standing on the RockPod looking over the edge of Hall's Ledge.

 

Nick Hancock FRGS

www.rockallsolo.com
Facebook.com/RockallSolo
Twitter: @RockallNick #RockallSolo
Sponsor Nick in aid of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo

Please forward all Press and Media enquiries regarding the expedition to Iain MacIver
Tel: 0845 860 2411
Email: rockall2014@promessage.com

Day 10

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In bird news, I had an arctic tern hovering over the rock the day before yesterday, which was pretty exciting, and in the past few days, most of the gannets have disappeared only to be replaced with greater black backed gulls. The general consensus seemed to be that my mystery birds from the other day were a juvenile kittiwake, a long tailed skua, and a red shank. There seemed to be some interest that the red shank was here, so perhaps that's a first sighting on Rockall?

 

Having thought that my friend the grey pigeon had left upon arrival of a new brown interloper, it would appear that he is still around and has finally started eating the crumbs I've left out for him on the deck of the RockPod. He's getting much more trusting too, even trying to come in the pod on a couple of occasions, and I've been able to stroke him, but am no closer to getting the rest of the numbers from his leg rings.

 

The brown pigeon, however, has very clear markings on its rings, which is just as well as he is not so trusting. A light blue ring on the left leg reads '2635', and a green ring on its right leg reads 'GB13 B 33356'. I don't know if there's a central pigeon fanciers' database somewhere, but perhaps with the power of the internet we could track down the owner and let him know where his bird(s) are? There's a well reported magnetic anomaly at Rockall, and I'm wondering if this is why they are still here, being confused which way to go, having landed to rest, as they have both flown some way from the rock only to return.

 

The days are quietening down more now as I have fewer pre-planned big jobs to be getting on with, and if the weather allows, I'm generally taking the morning very slowly carrying out general admin, writing my blog and diary, and saving anything I have to do outside the pod for the afternoons. Yesterday that meant setting up my Leica Geosystems GNSS satellite survey kit in the late morning, which involved setting a threaded survey marker into the summit, screwing a standing pole to it, and screwing an antenna to that (as per picture on twitter yesterday). The antenna is connected to a base recording unit via a wire, and I placed the unit in the old light housing for protection as I left it running for 24 hours, or until the battery runs out, so didn't want the birds knocking the unit off the summit.

 

In the afternoon I had a 'conference call' with my telecoms sponsors Inmarsat in London, which was very helpful. We discussed further PR for the expedition, and the fact the magnetic anomaly mentioned above may also be affecting my satellite signal periodically. Its been really great to have Inmarsat on board, with the introduction made by Graham Hart-Ives, now at Wireless Innovation, whom I first spoke to a couple of years ago in planning the expedition. He then worked for a much larger satellite communications company; they didn't continue their support of Rockall Solo this year, but thankfully Graham did and that means that, via Inmarsat and a Cobham Explorer BGAN unit, you can read this blog and my Tweets, and I can communicate with the outside world on a fairly regular basis, which is important, not just to tell the story and spread the work about the expedition in the hope that will raise more funds for Help for Heroes, but also for my own sanity!

 

This morning I reached for small book of knots that I brought out with me, and managed, I'm proud to say, to tie my first monkey's fist (look it up) which I've always fancied doing, but never seem to have the time. I'm fairly chuffed with it for a first go, but will try and perfect it. This small book, along with the knot 'bible', the 'Ashley Book of Knots', as recommended by the ocean rower Leven Brown, which I have on PDF, are amongst the things that I've brought with me to keep my mind active and stave off the boredom. Most of them, like the harmonica and Italian lessons, I'm going to try and leave until I absolutely have to resort to them. In the mean time, it's still nice to enjoy actually having the time to think, ponder and enjoy my ever changing surroundings, which I'm not sure I've had the time to do since I was a teenager.

 

This afternoon, I took down the GNSS survey kit and backed up the data collected over the past twenty four hours or so. I'll repeat the whole process at least once if not twice more whilst I'm here in order to get several datasets when the relevant satellites are in different positions. In this way, hopefully, we'll get the most accurate position and height for Rockall recorded. I also used a weighted rope, as the cliff on the East side of the rock was leeward of the wind, and took some rough measurements of the height of the summit plateau and the height of the lip at the top of the cliff just below Hall's Ledge above the seaweed line.

 

I'm also expecting a visitor tomorrow, but more of that if it happens. Watch this space…

 

Nick Hancock FRGS

www.rockallsolo.com
Facebook.com/RockallSolo
Twitter: @RockallNick #RockallSolo
Sponsor Nick in aid of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo

Please forward all Press and Media enquiries regarding the expedition to Iain MacIver
Tel: 0845 860 2411
Email: rockall2014@promessage.com