One month to departure!

Today, and I can hardly believe I’m typing this, it is exactly one month until I leave for Leverburgh on Harris to await a suitable weather window for departure and a hopefully successful second landing on Rockall. I can hardly believe it, as it’s been such a long road to this point, which has suddenly arrived out of no-where!

I have been very lucky, particularly this year, in having obtained all the funding I need for the expedition, which has been the sticking point for the last two years and the lack of which was the main reason for postponing the expedition in both 2011 and 2012. I'd like to thanks LPG Exceptional Energy, Calor, DM Hall, Kukri, Petrostrat and Ocean Row Events for all their help and support so far.

In addition, most of my transportation has been agreed in the past four months, and I have also confirmed that all the generous offers of equipment still stood, and have been ordering shiny kit with relish – the house now looks like an equipment store. So much in fact has fallen into place in 2013, that I'm starting to suspect that the hand of destiny might be playing a part.

Packing has been interesting, as everything has to fit in the plastic drums provided by Smiths of Dean. An initial rough distribution and packing session revealed that I have more than enough space for everything, and I have subsequently repacked neatly, which has left me with space for the kit which I am still awaiting, such as survey gear, satellite phone, and wind turbine; all of which are ordered and should arrive in the next week or so.

This time of year is always busy with expedition and adventure news: the Marathon des Sables was run at the start of the month and which I ran back in 2010, only a year into the planning of the then ‘Rockall 2011’ expedition; I was far too optimistic! Bob Kerr, who went out to Rockall with me last year, is currently climbing his own Everest (literally) and is about to move up to Advance Base Camp on the North side of the highest mountain in the world. Sarah Outen, one of the judges of the Kukri Adventure Scholarship, which I‘ve shared this year, has just departed from Japan on her second attempt to row solo across the Pacific to Canada as part or her larger ‘London to London via the World’ expedition. Unfortunately, however, Niall Iain MacDonald, who was also a recipient of the Kukri Adventure Scholarship this year, and with whom I have been in touch since we both postponed our respective Atlantic adventures last year, has had to postpone NY2SY yet again. I know some of how he feels, and I wish him all the luck for 2014.

Right, I’m going back to packing kit, but remember you can sponsor me in aid of Help for Heroes at www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo . More news soon!

 

Moving forward

A major step forward has occurred since the last blog post: I now have all the transportation confirmed for the expedition. This includes Orca 3, operated by Kilda Cruises, which will take me from the Isle of Harris (Outer Hebrides) to Rockall; the previously agreed ferries, operated by CalMac, which will take me from Skye to Harris; and now Northgate Vehicle Hire have kindly agreed to supply a van for the use of the expedition, not only to get from HQ (home) to the point of departure (Leverburgh) and back at the end of the expedition, but also to transport the RockPod to FoamSpray to get it insulated in a couple of weeks. As you can imagine, this is a major cost saving for the expedition.

 

In addition, Northgate have offered to have the van branded with the 'Rockall Solo' and 'Help for Heroes' logos which will ensure maximum exposure for the expedition and the charity whilst on the road during the initial phases of the expedition, and which will also be picked up in any photo and filming opportunities.

 

An important piece of kit also arrived last week in the form of a Toughbook laptop from Panasonic. This will no only enable me to blog and tweet from Rockall (@RockallNick) but will also allow me to take some e-books and to save the data I collect whilst I'm out there.

 

I am also now in more advanced discussions with a TV production company who have been commissioned to film a piece for a well known TV programme. Its still early days, so watch this space for official confirmation and the 'big reveal' of what programme and when it will be aired, but there's a good chance I'll now be taking a camera with me on the rock to film a diary whilst I am there!

 

Also, just a quick reminder that you can sponsor me in aid of Help for Heroes at: www.JustGiving.com/RockallSolo . Spread the word!

Things keep getting better!

The great news is that, following a presentation to the Kukri Adventure Scholarship panel at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Friday, I was awarded part of the inaugural scholarship fund along with four of the other entrants.

 

 

This unexpected injection of cash to the Rockall Solo coffers, along with the recent donations from LPG Exceptional Energy and Calor, means that I am now very near the total required for the expedition to go ahead this year (only delayed by 2 years!) and have been able to confirm a departure window with the boat skipper. In addition, a kind benefactor who has been 'on board' since the start, has confirmed that his pledge of financial support still stands, despite the delays in departure.

 

Now starts the task of buying and ordering kit and equipment, finishing the RockPod, and conducting a further round of testing all before departure. I'd like to congratulate the other scholarship winners: NY2SY, Adventure 2013, The Mississippi Challenge, and Super Cycling Man, all of whom are worth following. My commiserations go to The Coxless Rowers and Worldride 2013.

Lots and lots happening!

Well its 2013 and this is the start of the fourth (or is it fifth) year of trying to get this expedition off the ground. However, things are looking really good for a positive outcome this year (as always dependant on the weather!).

The first thing that happened at the start of the year was that, thanks to a suggestion by my sponsor Exceptional Energy, Calor have agreed to become a financial sponsor of the expedition. This is a significant step forward, as their funding has meant that I am much closer to the total amount I need for the expedition, and I am now in a position to re-contact the companies who have agreed to supply the expedition with technical equipment I will need, and Kilda Cruises to pencil in potential dates for the expedition later this year. Calor have also kindly agreed to provide a stove and the LPG I will need for cooking and heating water during my stay on the rock.



The second major step forward is that, in part thanks to everyone who voted for me via Facebook, Rockall Solo has been shortlisted for the inaugural Kukri Adventure Scholarship. The next step in the selection process happens on the 8th February at the Royal Geographical Society in London, where I, and the other six candidates, will have to present to the panel of judges, and answer questions posed by them. The winner(s) will be announced that evening at a dinner - watch this space for the results, and good luck to the other entrants.

 

The final bit of good news for this blog (if all the above was not enough already) is that Smiths of the Forest of Dean have kindly agreed to provide the expedition with the plastic drums, to contain my kit and equipment, that my recce of Rockall last June so rudely proved that I need in order for the expedition, and specifically the landing, to be a success.

 

Onwards and upwards!

Massive leaps forward!

Well, in the continuing theme of throwing mud at walls, it just goes to show that you should never give up (something that I might need to keep in mind whilst on Rockall!) In a somewhat random move, I 'Googled' people with the surname Rockall who might have a link with the expedition. As luck would have it, and following a letter to Paris, James Rockall, CEO of the WLPGA 'got' the expedition and could see the obvious links between their campaign 'LPG Exceptional Energy', which aims to promote the use of LPG in remote areas, and my need for a reliable and clean fuel source for cooking whilst on the rock. In addition, LPG Exceptional Energy have very kindly agreed to support the expedition financially as GOLD sponsors.

 

 

As GOLD sponsors LPG Exceptional Energy are able to have their logo on the RockPod survival shelter, to ensure maximum publicity for their brand. With their printers having let them down, a Belgian student was dispatched on a plane to Edinburgh with an envelope containing the logos, and arrived half way through the floatation testing at the Seagull Trust dock on the canal at Ratho!

 

He was, not surprisingly, somewhat bemused to arrive to an image of me swinging around on top of the RockPod, suspended from a crane over the canal. It was all necessary, as I was able to check that the RockPod floats, which it does, and it is surprisingly very stable (I avoided the temptation to see it if would self-right with me in it, much to the disappointment of my goading friend and glamorous assistant Dan!). I could also check that my design was strong enough to be lifted by a crane and was stable whilst being lifted, as it will have to be to get it off the boat. I'd like to thank Ronnie Rusack MBE for his permission and assistance with using the Seagull Trust's facilities.

 

Next 'Glamourous Dan' and I moved venue to the hidden, but publicly open crag behind the Edinburgh International Climbing Area (EICA), which happily is also in Ratho. There I met up with Fraser MacDonald and Stevie, both rope rescue instructors at the National Rope Rescue Centre in Edinburgh. These were the guys to teach me the specialist skills, over and above my existing climbing experience, required to allow me to winch up and lower the RockPod, which weighs around 150kg, over a cliff by myself.

 

 

The exercise was again very helpful, and demonstrated that I need to rethink/design the winching/lowering points on the RockPod to have specific ones for this purpose rather than using those fitted for tethering it to Rockall. I also need to have a fixed central point for the line to attach to, because, as seen above, the RockPod had a tendency to tilt to the side when it got caught on even the smallest feature. It was also a chance to use the Portable Winch for the first time, and it proved to be the perfect tool for the job, and easily lifted the RockPod back up the cliff. Glamorous @MountainDann spent most of the afternoon leaning over the edge of the cliff to take photos whilst I operated the winch and the lowering mechanism. So thanks to Dan for all his help!

 

All this testing and activity led to a great blog today on The Guardian's website by Severin Carrell, which has already yielded some more followers on Twitter, publicity for sponsors, and hopefully will attract others to get involved with the final portion of funding I need to get this expedition off the ground - thanks to LPG Exceptional Energy I'm now two thirds of the way there! One way you can help is to click this link to the Kukri Adventure Scholarship, 'like' the page and vote for my video.

 

The final thing to say is that I agreed provisional departure (and retrieval) dates today with Angus at Kilda Cruises...