News
4th May 2010 - Charlie voted Seahorse Sailor of the Month
Thank you to all that voted for Charlie. The Seahorse International Sailing magazine is the bible for every discerning yachtsman around the globe and it means a great deal to Charlie. Thank you
Posted By: Charlie Pitcher, 4th May 2010 21:28:02
12th April 2010 - Charlie nominated for Seahorse Sailor of the Month
If you would like to vote, please go to http://www.seahorsemagazine.com/
Posted By: David Lidstone, 12th April 2010 11:00:42
16th March 2010 - Cambridge News
Charlie has been documented in the Cambridge News with a short piece on what he has accomplished, and a few quotes from Charlie once back on land after the race.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 16th March 2010 09:17:08
28th February 2010 - Photos of the start
Karon Phillips has pointed out some professional pictures from the start in La Gomera:
Posted By: David Lidstone, 28th February 2010 11:12:23
26th February 2010 - Appeal for photos
If anyone has any images of Charlie finishing or in Antigua which they can share, please send them to "david AT transatlanticsolo DOT com". Please state whether they can be freely distributed (e.g. to the press) or are just for the web site etc. Also please say whether you want a copy-write with them. The higher quality / size the better.
Thank you.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 26th February 2010 11:47:47
Edited By: David Lidstone, 26th February 2010 11:48:25
26th February 2010 - BBC Essex Interview
Having now completed the race as the winner and solo race record breaker, Charlie was interviewed by BBC Essex. You can hear this interview by clicking the link below. The link for the interview starts 2 hours and 24 minutes into the breakfast show.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006jknc#synopsis
Posted By: Shane Exley, 26th February 2010 09:56:16
Edited By: Shane Exley, 26th February 2010 09:58:05
25th February 2010 - Boat page now live
We have prepared a page with more information about JJ (InsureandGo). Many thanks to Phil Morrison and Global Boat Works for their help.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 25th February 2010 19:47:50
25th February 2010 - Video on BBC News web site
There is a short video of Charlie's mum being interviewed by the BBC here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8536885.stm
Posted By: David Lidstone, 25th February 2010 14:57:08
25th February 2010 - BBC World Service
The BBC World Service Health Check program will be using part of Charlie's Radio 4 interview in a piece to be broadcast on Monday.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 25th February 2010 12:53:30
25th February 2010 - Donators list
It has been bought to our attention that not everyone who has given money is appearing on the donators list which rotates on the front page.
Unfortunately, due to the Data Protection Act, Addenbrookes are unable to pass us details of people who have donated directly to them. If you have donated directly (not through JustGiving) then please contact us through this site and we will be glad to add you to the donators list.
Thank you for your kind donations and please accept my apologies for any distress this may have caused.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 25th February 2010 11:57:27
25th February 2010 - BBC Look East
BBC Look East have interviewed Jenny, Charlie's Mum. Hopefully, it will be broadcast between 6am and 9am tomorrow (Thursday).
Posted By: David Lidstone, 25th February 2010 00:01:07
23rd February 2010 - BBC Radio 4 interview
Charlie was interviewed on BBC radio 4 this morning. You can hear the interview in full by clicking the link below.
We apologise for the suggestion of the interview being on BBC 5 Live as we were in fact miss-informed.
We don't currently know whether Charlie was interviewed by Five Live. It is possible the interview was done but has not yet been broadcast.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8530000/8530066.stm
Posted By: Shane Exley, 23rd February 2010 10:52:55
Edited By: David Lidstone, 23rd February 2010 18:01:18
23rd February 2010 - BBC Radio Interviews
I don't yet know whether Charlie spoke to Five Live, but haven't heard anything on Five Live. It does seem that he was on BBC Radio Four, but unfortunately it looks unlikely that this will appear on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qsbwr
Posted By: Charlie Pitcher, 23rd February 2010 09:30:37
22nd February 2010 - BBC Radio Five Live
Charlie is being interviewed at 6am tomorrow by BBC Radio Five Live (693 and 909 MW and on Digital). This is to be recorded and used on their sports bulletin. He may also be interviewed live at 8:50am.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 22nd February 2010 17:56:19
16th February 2010 - Interview now online
The BBC Radio Essex interview is now live on iPlayer. The interview starts approximately 2h 3mins into today's program (16/02/2010). The program can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7dl
Posted By: David Lidstone, 16th February 2010 14:36:29
Edited By: David Lidstone, 16th February 2010 14:36:43
16th February 2010 - Live interview on BBC Radio Essex
Charlie was interviewed live by Dave Monk on BBC Radio Essex today at around 11am or shortly after. I think the program will appear here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7dl shortly. If I'm wrong and it appears elsewhere instead, please let me know via the form on this site and I'll correct the link. Thank you.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 16th February 2010 11:31:58
15th February 2010 - Charlie's menu
MyProtein.co.uk have posted a page about Charlie which also lists his daily menu and calorie intake.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 15th February 2010 10:00:16
12th February 2010 - Sound Clip from Charlie
Please remember to click on the facebook icon at the top of the page to view Charlie's facebook page as it is constantly updated with new sound clips from Charlie in the Atlantic Ocean. Click on the facebook icon at the top of the page now or click here to listen to Charlie's latest entry and find out the target he has set himself for tomorrow.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 12th February 2010 16:18:29
Edited By: Shane Exley, 12th February 2010 16:19:28
8th February 2010 - Comment via your mobile
It is now possible to comment on Charlie's blogs in the mobile section of the site. Next time you're bored on the train, why not send Charlie some encouragement!
Posted By: David Lidstone, 8th February 2010 16:26:06
2nd February 2010 - Race Statistics
You can now see the latest statistics on Charlie's progress in the race, and compare how well Charlie is doing up against his opponents and also the race records. View the statistics now!
Posted By: Shane Exley, 2nd February 2010 09:55:10
Edited By: Shane Exley, 2nd February 2010 09:58:43
26th January 2010 - No Blog
Sorry, Charlie is unlikely to be posting a blog today. With the weather closing in, he is pushing on and rowing into the wind for as long as he can!
Posted By: David Lidstone, 26th January 2010 21:21:34
26th January 2010 - London to Casablanca
Charlie has now rowed nearly 1300 miles... that's about the same as London to Casablanca in Morocco!
Currently, he is around 295 miles ahead of Peter Van Kets (http://www.own-your-life.co.za/) in second place. To give that some scale, if Pete was in London, Charlie would be approaching Edinburgh. The fleet is about to be hit by a prolonged period of strong Westerly winds, so the next few days could be crucial.
Charlie is currently experiencing light Southerly winds at around 3kts. At the moment, he is rowing 14hrs a day, which he can sustain 'comfortably'.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 26th January 2010 12:09:48
22nd January 2010 - BBC Radio Essex Interview
Charlie has been interviewed by BBC Radio Essex via Sat-Phone.
The interview is due to be broadcast tomorrow (Saturday 23rd January) at 06:10 and again at 08:50 on the Breakfast Show. It might be repeated on Monday the 25th January.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 22nd January 2010 17:09:44
20th January 2010 - No blog today
I've just spoken to Charlie. He's unlikely to send a blog today, as he is making sure he has plenty of power for the water maker, auto-helm etc.
Charlie is in excellent physical condition - he says his hands and bottom are causing him no problems at all and the only small issue he has is a slight niggle in his back.
The helpful winds he had yesterday have fallen away to leave about 10 knots and a rather choppy sea. Difficult rowing conditions and a little frustrating although he seems to still be keeping up a good pace.
Charlie sounded really positive and 'charged up'. He mentioned several times that he really appreciates all the support he gets and looks forward to every 'communications window' when he gets all your emails and blog comments. Keep them coming!
Posted By: David Lidstone, 20th January 2010 14:46:14
15th January 2010 - Sound clip of Charlie at sea
A sound recording from the boat on Charlie's Birthday at sea is now on his Facebook group 'The Continental Conqueror'.
Click here or on the Facebook icon at the top of the page to go to 'The Continental Conqueror'.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 15th January 2010 09:53:20
12th January 2010 - Support through Twibbon
Charlie is rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in memory of his friend Shaun and also in support of the Renal Unit at Addenbrookes Hospital with all funds raised along the way . You to can support Addenbrookes Hospital by clicking the link below and joining their Twibbon group.
http://twibbon.com/cause/Addenbrookes-Hospital/supporters
Posted By: Shane Exley, 12th January 2010 14:51:25
Edited By: Shane Exley, 12th January 2010 15:15:51
11th January 2010 - Sound clips from Charlie
Charlie's facebook page ''The Continental Conquerer" run by his main sponsors "Insure & Go" has interesting updates including sound clips direct from the boat. This page is accessible from the facebook icon at the top of this page or by clicking here.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 11th January 2010 16:56:08
Edited By: Shane Exley, 11th January 2010 16:56:58
11th January 2010 - Hardest row so far
Charlie is back at the oars, so hasn't had a chance to write a blog yet. I'll try to summarise from the content of some other emails...
"I am now bombing along for the time being. I have a good lead on the other solo boats and am actually 6th overall, amazing!! That won't be for long."
In the 24hrs up to 7am this morning, Charlie had covered 67.8nm - the furthest in the entire fleet (again)!
"In the process of acheiving this position, I have busted my body and need to pace myself more conservatively now. My race strategy was always to give everything in the first week to obtain control and then to cover. My hands look as if I've pushed them into a bucket of broken glass. This is a major problem and I've got the medic kit out to play at "Doctors and Nurses". My bottom is no oil painting and I'm going to take a course of anti biotics for that. Mentally, I'm absolutely 100% with lots of support around me.
I dropped my goggles over the side two days ago and then my remote control for my auto helm. Big no no!! Silly thing to do, but I've hardly slept and they these have given me a safety wake up call. I can do without these, but don't want to fall over myself. My routine is basically 2 or 3 hours on, 1 hour off with a longer break of 2 hours sometime during the night. Each hour of rowing, I stop for 7 minutes to stretch, make a protein drink, apply sunblock, change my knickers etc!
Food is fine. I stocked up on wet rations before I left, but these are almost finished ( another few days ) and then it will be dry rations until the end.
It's rather windy and I'm starting to feel I should be outside! I'll do a blog later today or tomorrow, but I'm knackered after my hardest row yesterday to date.
THINGS LOOKING GOOD EH"
Posted By: David Lidstone, 11th January 2010 12:22:05
8th January 2010 - Sore bottom and communications
The winds have turned more favourable and Charlie is now rowing with the wind directly behind him. His only issue is a very sore bottom (an occupational hazard for ocean rowers)!
Charlie's email is filtered, but all your words of encouragement are passed on. You can write to him at charlie@transatlanticsolo.com, use the contact form on this site, or just leave a comment on his blog. Unfortunately, Charlie is not able to receive attachments or images, so please send plain text only.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 8th January 2010 00:30:42
Edited By: David Lidstone, 8th January 2010 00:59:50
6th January 2010 - News from Charlie
I've just spoken to Charlie. He is still drifting on his sea-anchor with unfavourable winds. He is not able to row South, but the winds are due to become more Northerly overnight and he's looking forward to making excellent progress again soon. Charlie and the boat are both in excellent shape. He very much appreciates all the messages and support, but is unable to reply directly as typing makes him feel a little queezy!
Posted By: David Lidstone, 6th January 2010 19:04:12
6th January 2010 - Charlie's current position
Keep an eye on the progress that Charlie is making by viewing his tracking page. This page will be developed further in the coming weeks to bring you more information on Charlie's advancements in the race.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 6th January 2010 17:14:43
Edited By: Shane Exley, 6th January 2010 17:18:39
4th January 2010 - The race is underway!
After many delays and ongoing weather warnings the race has finally started and Charlie has now begun his solo row across the Atlantic ocean, heading for Antigua.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 4th January 2010 16:54:32
Edited By: Shane Exley, 4th January 2010 16:56:11
30th December 2009 - More from Charlie...
I have just spoken to Charlie in La Gomera. He is sounding very positive and using the time to tweak the boat even further!
The delay now is more to do with the waves than the wind. The start is looking like it may now be any time between the 2nd and the 5th.
He has also asked me to point out that the official Woodvale race site was hacked on Christmas Day, which is why it has no up-to-date info. They are hoping that the site will be active again by tomorrow.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 30th December 2009 11:09:56
29th December 2009 - New race start time
The race start has been revised to the 2nd or 3rd of January. Charlie is confident that this is 'for real' this time. The weather is gradually improving, and it does look as though a start around this time will be possible.
Posted By: David Lidstone, 29th December 2009 10:40:10
16th December 2009 - Race Start Time Confirmed
Following a meeting between Woodvale race officials and the Spanish authorities it as been confirmed that the race will now begin on Tuesday 29th December 2009.
Hoping for the off shore weather to reverse over the next 10 days, the race is expected to get underway safely and with the rowers benefitting from north eastly winds that will help push them on their way towards Antigua.
Charlie and all competitors will gather again and report to Woodvale in La Gomera no later than Sunday 27 th December in order for their departure.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 16th December 2009 15:41:47
Edited By: Shane Exley, 17th December 2009 10:45:51
15th December 2009 - Weather Charts
Stay up to date with the weather that Charlie faces over the next week by using our weather charts on our weather page, demonstrating the developments of wind direction and strength, wave direction and height, precipitation and also cloud coverage over the next 7 days.
Go to our weather page to view the current weather that Charlie is currently up against.
Posted By: Shane Exley, 15th December 2009 14:16:14
Edited By: Shane Exley, 17th December 2009 10:45:44