Dreams of cheese scones keep rowing pair on course

Dreams of cheese scones keep rowing pair on course

Tara Remington’s row across the Pacific Ocean is now in its fourth week and the dreams of home cooked food have kicked in.

While trying to get some rest on the boat last week Tara nodded off and dreamt she heard the oven timer ringing and her mother-in-law pulling a tray of cheese scones out of the oven. But when she opened her eyes she was disappointed.

“It was the timer on the row clock and I had to get up and take my turn to row.”

The University of Auckland academic is rowing across the Pacific Ocean from Long Beach Los Angeles to Waikiki in Hawaii with American Paralympian Angela Madsen in their vessel the Spirit of Orlando.

The 4000 Km odyssey is to raise money for New Zealand girl Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman. Charlotte lost her arms and legs to meningitis as a baby in 2004. Now a 10-year-old, she needs on-going assistance with prosthetic limbs as she grows. Tara’s row will also help raise enough money for Charlotte to attend Camp No Limits, a special camp for amputees and their families held in the United States each year. Angela, a former US marine, is also using the row to raise money for wounded American war veterans.

Tara is thrilled to hear that Waiau Pa School in Pukekohe has organised a mufti-day on 20 June that will also raise money for Charlotte by making a gold coin donation. Other schools are also planning to hold nautical themed mufti days in Charlotte’s honour.

You can donate to the cause at www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/RowingforCharlotte

Back at sea, Tara and Angela have battled bad weather for the past three weeks, and it was only last Wednesday they saw their first sunset.

“I looked up and said to Angela ‘what’s that big orange thing in the sky?’”

Good weather in the daytime has also allowed them to do some much-needed house work on the boat such as washing their clothes and cleaning up.

Now they are looking forward to having a strong N/NE wind behind them and hitting the trade winds to help push them in the direction of Hawaii. They are about a quarter of their way through the row or 1900 nautical miles from Hawaii.

Sea life has still been providing entertainment, Tara estimates about 100 dolphins swam near the boat last week and even swam backwards on their tails. But they were a little freaked out when the pod came back to visit in the black of night.

“When there’s wildlife at night you don’t know if it’s friend or foe.”

Tara, a Waiuku resident and lecturer, at the univesity's Faculty of Education, first got involved with Charlotte’s charity through the Meningitis Trust in the 2007 Atlantic Rowing Race, and now her daughter Jade is Charlotte’s pen-pal.

Visit www.tararemington.weebly.com for more information on Tara and her Pacific Row 2014.

Make a donation to Charlotte at: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/RowingforCharlotte
You can also track their progress at https://share.delorme.com/AngelaMadsen

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