Good luck Oliver Hicks
Published January 11, 2009 | 
You wanna be the one in control
You wanna be the one who’s alive
You wanna be the one who gets old
It’s not a matter of luck, it’s just a matter of time
- 30 seconds to mars
I must be going blind. I spent quite a bit of time over at Oliver Hicks’ Virgin Global Row website and I couldn’t figure out exactly what he was planning to do. I’d read that he’d been stopped in New Zealand from doing it and now he was going to try to do it from Tasmania. It was starting to sound like something not only dangerous but maybe seditious as well!
Whatever the challenge, Oliver Hicks have proven that he is capable on the water. In 2005, at 23 years of age, Oliver rowed across the Atlantic Ocean west to east in a 124 day trip that along with the accomplishment gained him the unique distinctions of becoming both the youngest and the slowest person to row from the US to Europe. His goal at the beginning was to challenge the record and make the crossing in 62 days, however the weather refused to cooperate. What’s more the regular need to shift course due to the weather also made his crossing the longest, covering over 6,500km by the time he reached the Isles of Scilly off the coast of the UK. It’s pretty amazing that he didn’t just call off his quest when he knew that not only was he not going to get close to the record but that he was on a course to double it. Instead he set his mind simply to making the crossing whatever the outcome. Certainly a determined soul.
Which brings us back to today. So there I was at the Virgin Global Row website reading away and I kept saying, “Yeah, but what are you doing?!”. I almost wanted to use the “Ask Olly” feature but I figured no one would vote for my question, “Olly, what is the Global Row exactly?”. I felt like the cat in Red Dwarf who would hear multiple answers only to repeatedly ask, “But what is it??”. That’s the problem with being too close to something, is when describing it to others you often forget they don’t have a clue what you’re on about. In the end I found out what the global row was specifically by reading external news websites. (As I said, I may just be blind.)
The Global Row can be one thing or another depending how you look at it. One way is to say Oliver Hicks is planning to circumnavigate Antarctica, or you may very well say Oliver is planning to row around the world. In fact I’ve read both and both are accurate. Maybe the important fact is that he will attempt to spend the next 12-18 months rowing about 24,000 kilometers through the treacherous “Furious Fifties”. A gig that will set off to stack up miles in a part of the world where just a few can be a harrowing experience.
That’s where he ran into trouble of course. The authorities in New Zealand refused permission for Oliver and his boat, the Flying Carrot to launch. We all remember the issue with permissions that Andrew McAuley had when he began his fateful Journey. Obviously New Zealand’s authorities don’t wish to be part of another adventurer’s demise. Like Andrew, Oliver couldn’t be persuaded. Instead he changed his plans and moved the launch to Tasmania where Australian authorities are no happier, but won’t stop him.
Like all adventure challenges we recognize the risk. We can argue the futility or majesty of such human epics (and I’m sure we will), but we also must wish him a safe journey. Good luck Oliver Hicks. Stay safe.
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3 Responses to Good luck Oliver Hicks
Yes, but what a prat. I don’t really care if he wants to do this or not – we all enjoy challenges and if we are able and capable should be encouraged in them. But why the hell does he have to publicise it so much, because like it or not, NZ authorities, and therefore all New Zealanders will be morally obliged to conduct the rescue operations. This not only puts adventurous and enterprising men and women at risk but it also diverts money, time and attention away from other important work in the pacific.
An “around the world” surface journey has to cross the Equator, and has to cover a distance at least equal to the length of the Equator. Only the Around Antarctica description is accurate.
I hope Olly will succeed in his quest. At the same time, this has to be described correctly.
Regards.
Erden.
Scott. I will tell you why he is publishing it…because not only is he trying to achieve something which has never been done before (something which I think should be encouraged), but he is also trying to raise £1 million + for Hopes for Homes, an amazing charity which helps children suffering from war / famine etc find housing.
I can understand the NZ authorities not being happy about it, but there we go, such is life and we all have to do things we don’t want to do.
Erden, stop being so pinickity. He is still rowing the globe in one of the worse places possible. I am sure that if it had been possible to row the world round the equator the Oli would have done that, but it isn’t possible because we have this thing called land in the way.
Guys seriously, I don’t think that any of us are in a position to criticise at all. Buck up, go to his website http://www.virginglobalrow.com and donate to his charity and show support. He is going to be alone for a long time.