Virgin Global Row

The Expedition - Rowing Solo 18,000 Miles Around The World in the World’s Most Hostile Marine Environment.

'Virgin Global Row' is an expedition mounted by Olly Hicks, the solo oarsman, to circumnavigate Antarctica. Having already solo-rowed the Atlantic, Olly Hicks anticipates taking some 18-22 months for the whole voyage around Antarctica and he will be at sea all that time, except for over-wintering on South Georgia. Hicks knowingly tackles what is arguably the world’s most hostile environment, the Southern Ocean, having made a prior recce trip aboard a larger vessel.

Hicks plans to circumnavigate Antarctica at roughly 55 degrees south, departing from Tasmania in January 2009. From there he will drop south to pass below New Zealand's South Island before heading east across the South Pacific Ocean towards Cape Horn. Here Hicks aims to pass through the Drake Passage, at around 58 degrees south, before making course for South Georgia.

On departure from Tasmania there will be 360 days of provisions on board Hicks’ boat ‘The 'Flying Carrot' but he intends to make landfall seven or so months into the journey to avoid a full winter at sea. Whether Hicks reaches South Georgia before winter moves-in remains to be seen; this is entirely dependent on what weather greets Hicks in the Southern Ocean. If conditions become too severe he will stop in Tierra del Fuego instead. However, Plan A is to arrive into South Georgia some seven months into the expedition, hopefully around June 2009, to re-supply and over-winter there until October, when he will again take to the Southern Ocean and head eastwards to Tasmania. Hicks' shore team will need to adapt its logistics planning for the time and location of the re-supply as the expedition develops.

The Weather

"Below forty degrees, there is no law," it is said. "Below 50 degrees, there is no God"

Olly will aim to stay in the circumpolar current (the ocean current that travels all the way around Antarctica) at roughly 50 degrees south. It is known that the Southern Ocean is the most inhospitable ocean in the world as there is no landmass to prevent the seas building. It is anticipated that Olly and The Flying Carrot will face some 50 foot waves, at times for days on end. Rowing will not be possible in these conditions so Olly will 'batten down the hatches' and live in the watertight stern cabin.

Onboard, Olly will use satellite communication systems to try and predict the weather conditions so he can prepare for approaching weather systems and storms. Unlike a sailing boat, The Flying Carrot travels so slowly that Olly has no means of avoiding storms. He must only endure. Olly does, however, have the ability to speak to land- based weather routers who will also be advising expected enroute weather conditions.

Food

We have designed the food packages to provide Olly with roughly 6000 calories a day, o ensuring that he is replenishes the energy he is using rowing and maintaining the boat. His food consists of military dry rations 'boiled in the bag'. Within 8 minutes of adding water the meals are ready to eat. The main courses are chicken curry or beef curry but each ration pack also has an assortment of treats such as Mars Bars and one-penny sweets to keep the spirits up. Some of Olly’s best friends, Ben and Lucy, have also organized for letters to be put in the vacuum-sealed meal bags so he can open a letter each day. With all food loaded the boat weighs about 1.5 tonnes on departure.

Life Alone Aboard 'The Flying Carrot'

As Olly will be on his own for up to 18 months he has taken a full range of things to keep him busy, to keep his spirits up and his mind active. On-board entertainment equipment includes 3x80 GB ipods - with audio books and music. (Olly has more than a year’s worth of music onboard). There is also an assortment of books onboard covering Olly's interests and needs; topics include nature and medicine and he will also have an encyclopedia, crossword books and fiction books on tape. Olly also has some French and Spanish language tapes onboard so, at voyage end, he - and perhaps the odd passing whale - should prove to be a much improved linguist!

The continual en route maintenance required on The Flying Carrot will keep Olly actively problem-solving and mentally active.

The boat has three satellite phones, one inbuilt and two mobile units in case of emergency. These will allow Olly to call the shore office, friends and family. They are also used to send emails, update the blog and send videos to http://www.youtube.com/virginglobalrow

The stern cabin, 100% water-tight by design and containing all the communications equipment, is an extremely confined space when fully packed with supplies but during bad weather Olly will confine himself to this space for some days at a time.