January 12th, 2012
Life at Home While Your Partner is Rowing the Atlantic
Ever wonder what it’s like for the people who stay behind and support those rowing the Atlantic for charity? I remember assuming that once Bertie and James of Facing the Atlantic got started there’d be little to report.
Boy howdy was that a wrong assumption! Sam Scott Thomas, actor Bertie Portal’s partner, will give us a glimpse into her life while Bertie’s at sea in her new Huffington Post blog! Here’s a sample of her first post:
To say being at home while your partner rows the Atlantic is easy would be lying. Some days are better than others as we watch Patience’s little tracker line move slowly across the Atlantic. However I wouldn’t change it for the world. It has been and continues to be an exciting time, whatever is thrown at us.
Sam and her Bertie on launch day
Head over there and give Sam a read and remember to comment, Like it on Facebook, and post it on Twitter!
You can follow the boys (who are nearly half way across the Atlantic!) on the Talisker tracking site and you can donate to buy them a round of Beers in Barbados and enter to win one of two signed True Blood posters!
First Look: Robert Portal in “The Iron Lady”
Yes, that’s our very own Bertie Portal looking very handsome in his role in “The Iron Lady.”
Check your local theater listings to see the movie.
Remember! The “Beers in Barbados” campaign is up and running. If you’d like a chance to win a True Blood poster signed by Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin (and one signed by Steve alone) donate to buy Bertie and James a coupla beers when they reach Barbados! It’s easy as pie.
UPDATE! Bertie and James are ROWING Again!
Here’s a neat video (and it appears they both have at least one pair of shorts left) of Patience and Aurora during the transfer of oars. Looks like two sets from what I can see!
Go Team FTA!
Here’s Anna Cash’s Facebook post about today’s events with Patience and Aurora. There were a couple of snags but the boys are on their way to Barbados – again.
I have just spoken to James. He shouted out to Bertie whilst I was on the phone and said ‘Bert – What are you doing?’ and Bert shouted back loud and clear ‘ROWING!’
THE BOYS HAVE THEIR OARS! WHOO HOO! Bert obviously couldn’t WAIT to get back in the seat and James sounded SO upbeat. They are moving again! They are really not very far away from having done 1000nm and could have done so by tomorrow evening. So fingers crossed.
Now, unfortunately they couldn’t fix the tracking beacon because when Aurora came this afternoon to try and get one of the crew aboard Patience to fix it, the seas were so rough that Aurora crashed into Patience and broke the rudder! MORE bad luck! HOWEVER, somewhere deep in James’ DIY genes (and believe me they are buried deep! Chris Cash you could have shared some more with him couldn’t you?!) he asked Aurora for a ‘coat hook’ and somehow has managed to fix it! Please God, keep it fixed for the next 30/40 days will ya? So the beacon remains un-fixed but they have new wires which when they get some calmer seas they will try and fix it themselves.
Bertie and James launch Patience a second time
Talking of God, the boys had a word with him this morning, so please, if you believe in him, can you have a word too? Goodness knows they don’t need any more bad luck.
They will be giving their co-ordinates to the race organisers every 6 hours, so unfortunately their position will not be updated as regularly as it was before. So please bear with them and we will try and give you as much info as we can when we receive it.
They are SO determined now and have big plans and new regimes to get this challenge completed. They thank you SO much for all your support and are absolutely delighted to know that they have now raised over £350,000 for Facing the World so far. This is really spurring them on now. Barbados, watch out!
How much do you love these men? (We’re gonna give you a chance to prove it … soon.)
James’ uncle, Tony Prince, made another lovely video of Bertie and James’ second launch on December 9. It’s every bit as lovely as the earlier launch, perhaps even better because the boys left with greater determination.
Way to hang tough, gentlemen!
Facing the Atlantic Rowers Interviewed on BBC Radio
Earlier today Bert Portal was interviewed from on board Patience, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic expecting the support ship, Aurora, to bring new oars on Friday! HOORAY! He spoke to Dominic King of BBC Radio Kent and you can listen to the archive at about the 20-minute mark. Here are some excerpts from Bertie’s conversation with King:
When asked about their location: “Well we are about 1,000 miles from the Canaries and about 1.600 miles from Barbados, so pretty much in the middle of the Atlantic.”
Bertie gave a brief rundown of re-starting the race nearly four days behind everyone else because of a power outage, then the auto helm broke, and all their oars were broken by massive, strong waves. They’re currently sitting on a drogue waiting for the new oars. The tracking beacon on board Patience is also broken so Bertie and James must radio their location to Aurora every six hours so it can be manually added to the tracking site. The new tracking beacon will arrive with the oars.
Bertie and James rowing together
Bertie went on to tell what else has happened to them: “Two days ago we capsized, a huge wave came and turned us over.” After the oars arrive “We’re gonna gun it and make as quick speed as possible.”
They are drifting but not entirely without a course as Bertie explains: “It drifts, we put what’s known as a drogue out at back at the stern and that really keeps us stable and sort of pushes us very, very slowly in the right direction. At least we’re not going in the wrong direction.”
They’ve had little opportunity to leave the cabin in heavy seas but … “Yesterday, I went fishing and caught four mackerel and we ate them for supper. Made a nice finish to a rather bad day.”
When King asked about their emotional states Bertie didn’t sugar coat it: “No, we’ve been up and down, you know, it is difficult I won’t deny it, when all we want to do is get to the other side and we’re stuck. We’ve been stuck for a week now just bobbing up and down, not doing anything, not being proactive in this adventure.”
He was happy to learn that Facing the Atlantic has raised more than 350,000 GBP for Facing the World! “When the chips are down that’s why we’re doing it and we bear that in mind and that keeps us going. We can’t lose sight of why we’re here in the first place and that’s a big, huge piece for us.”
Bertie laughed when King made a comparison between the premiere of “The Iron Lady” and Bertie’s current location. “Yeah, my Iron Lady days seem a long way off out here. I’m sitting here I haven’t got a stitch of clothing on, it’s all been lost or disintegrated, I’m peeling a bit and I’ve got a huge beard so it’s not the most attractive …”
Is it the film remake of “Castaway”? “Castaway 2 maybe!”
Bertie with Sam on launch day
In more good news, the boys may get some visitors in the form of an independent Atlantic rowing team called “Prostate Marksmen.”
Things are looking up for Bertie and James and we couldn’t be more excited for them! Remember to follow them on the Talisker tracking site and send ‘em a message or two.
Atlantic Rowers Stranded After Oars Snap
When you open today’s London Evening Standard you’ll find a story about our rowing heroes, Bert Portal and James Cash, that describes their ordeal at sea. Here’s the entire story with screencaps taken from the video at the end. This poignant video was made on launch day, December 5, and produced by James’ uncle.
Two rowers taking part in a charity boat race are set to be stranded in the Atlantic for days after all their oars snapped.
Actor Robert “Bertie” Portal, who features in Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady, and his rowing partner James Cash, a personal trainer, have already been drifting for several days as they attempt to complete the 3,000-mile Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge for charity Facing The World.
When their third and last pair of oars snapped in strong waves, the pair tried unsuccessfully to fix them with tape.
Determined to complete the challenge, they have ordered a new set but they cannot be delivered until Sunday at the earliest.
Bertie in the cabin, preparing for launch
The pair, whose team name is Facing The Atlantic, are doing the expedition in a bid to raise £300,000 (for Facing the World children’s charity). Speaking from the 23ft boat by satellite phone, the 44-year-old actor from Clapham told the Standard it was “frustrating”.
He said: “We’re drifting about 1,000 miles from nowhere so it’s quite uncomfortable. We will have been here a week by the time the oars get here.
“It’s really hot in the cabin. If we want to go on deck we risk getting swept off because the waves are so big. It’s really frustrating because we want to get it done.”
Sam and her Bertie on launch day
Their expedition came to a halt when they were capsized by huge waves and they are trying to dry out their food. They expect their journey to last about another five weeks.
Portal, who also appears in the film My Week With Marilyn, was unable to attend the film’s premiere in order to take part in the expedition and has been training for two years.
Portal’s distraught partner Sam Scott Thomas, 46, sister of actress Kristin, said: “Their boat capsized three days ago and could have sunk. The boat is designed to right itself and they were both in the cabin with the door shut when it turned over. Had they not been, the cabin would have filled with water.”
A crew of disabled war veterans also attempting the Atlantic race have vowed not to give up despite being forced to ration their food and water supplies after a mechanical failure.
The Row2Recovery yacht still has another five to six days before it can rendez-vous with a yacht carrying emergency water supplies.
Notable in the video is Sam’s advice as Bertie and James take off: “Don’t roger the cabin boy!”
Facing the Atlantic Rowers Answer Your Questions
OK, so they probably won’t answer requests for naked rowing photos, but our rowing men will choose three questions to answer from their fans!
Bertie and James rowing together
All you gotta do is jump over to their Facebook page and look for this entry:
Leave your question, or questions, in the comments and cross your fingers that yours will be one of the three chosen! Easy peasy. This’ll give Bertie and James something to occupy themselves while they’re drifting towards Barbados with three full sets of broken oars. They’re waiting for the support yacht, Aurora, to reach them with new oars but it will take a few days.
In the meantime let’s help lift their spirits with our questions and by leaving messages for them on the Talisker Whisky tracking site. Bertie and James can’t see the site from Patience but Sam and Anna read our comments to them.
This is a tough challenge they’ve taken on for Facing the World. Six of 17 teams have already dropped out of the race for various problems. We know our friends will make it to Barbados and they need our encouragement to get there!
Get a Cap Like the Ones Bertie and James Wear; Help Facing the World
Didja notice the caps in the videos from yesterday’s post about Bertie and James’ first month at sea?
We sent six caps to our lads so’s to keep their handsome heads from burning before they rowed off to Barbados. Four of them carry FTA logos designed by Tincar and you can buy them in our Simply Portal shop. ALL proceeds go to Facing the World via Facing the Atlantic’s fund raiser. They’re adjustable and available in khaki and white.
Simply Moyer FTA cap on board Patience
Bertie and James in our caps for their official photo
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Here’s James in one of the Coolibar sunscreen caps we sent!
We also have a couple of interesting updates about our boys and their progress (which is fantastic!). We learned yesterday that the way points they use to navigate their way across the Atlantic are programmed into their GPS and change according to weather, position, etc. Right now Bertie and James are heading straight for WP5 and skipping WP4.
Also, from their Facebook page we learn: Every 250 nautical miles they do is another 10% done of their journey. So far they have completed 30%. Next goal to look out for is when they have 1500 nm left to row which will 40% DONE! Come on boys!!!!
As of 1200 today their 24-hour VMG is 4.53 knots (they must be surfing some good waves!), 24 hour-DMG is 44.24 nautical miles, and distance to finish is 1,702 miles. They’ve done remarkably well considering everyone else had a three-day head start.
Remember to visit the Talisker tracking site and leave encouraging messages for our rowers!
Videos: Facing the Atlantic’s First Month at Sea
This is pretty exciting! All the boats participating in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge are keeping video diaries. A journalist on board Aurora, the support yacht, puts them together and regularly posts new ones to the Talisker tracking site. Here’s part one of Bertie and James’ Atlantic adventure for Facing the World:
Simply Moyer FTA cap on board Patience
And part two:
And here’s their Christmas message!
Ah James …
Cashy in his Atlantic Christmas kit
Bertie in Patience's cabin
Remember you can leave messages for the boys on the Talisker site; just scroll to near the bottom of the page on the right side.
Here’s an update from their Facebook page that Sam posted this morning:
Update. Despite being blown a bit off course overnight, the boys are on good form and just keeping at it. The seas were quite big last night, so they put the drogue out and got some rest. Today it’s brighter and they’re managing to surf he waves a bit more. Sadly they are unable to see the Talisker website but I passed on as many of the many messages the satellite phone/signal would allow me to. Your words of encouragement are SO important to them, so please don’t give up!
Bertie and James rowing together
The latest update indicates their 24-hour VMG is 3.4 knots, their 24-hour DMG is 48.64 nautical miles, and they have 1,749 nm to finish! They’re doing fantastically well!
Here’s a look at the oar that snapped, in half, during some really heavy seas. They now have three good oars, and one cracked one that they’ve repaired.
The snapped oar
Keep checking in on our friends, Bertie and James, and let them know we’re behind them all the way to Barbados! They rock.
Life on the Atlantic: Rowing and Chores, Rowing and Snores
Very early this morning at 2:45 EST the Breakfast Show with Gaby Roslin and Paul Ross on BBC Radio called Bertie and James out in the Atlantic for a short interview. Bertie was on the oars and James was on the phone talking to the shows hosts. You can listen to the interview for the next seven days only at the BBC Web site. It starts at approximately the 1:44 mark.
Cashy told the interviewers it was before dawn during the call and that it gets quite chilly at night. They hadn’t expected that but they do have water-and-wind proof clothing to wear before the sun comes up. We all know the boys have been rowing naked lately in the hot sun. When asked what they do all day Cashy replied it’s “rowing and chores” in the daytime and “rowing and snores” at night. Their objective is to keep Patience constantly moving.
Bertie and James rowing at night (photo from Aurora)
He also explained they’re constantly wet, something that surprised them as they thought conditions would be drier, at least in their tiny cabin. In daylight hours the cabin is “quite hot” and condensation drips on you constantly. How are they getting any sleep? Also, their clothes never really dry out.
The interviewers asked about Bertie and James’ charity, Facing the World, and James gave a nice explanation of why Bertie decided to row across the Atlantic to raise money for it. He gave out their Twitter name and URL for their Web site. If you’re not finished with your holiday shopping please consider making a donation!
It was a short interview and really great to hear Cashy’s voice.
You can also leave messages for Bertie and James on the Talisker Whisky tracking site in a form near the bottom of the page. Bertie and James read them when they’ve got a few minutes so send our brave rowers a nice Christmas message!
Here’s a video that all the rowing teams made before leaving La Gomera to send Christmas greetings to all:
Hear Bertie & James LIVE Tomorrow on BBC Radio
UPDATE! Bertie and James have reached the 2,000 nm mark!
Live from the Atlantic Ocean (and possibly naked) Bertie and James of Facing the Atlantic will be interviewed on BBC Radio London 94.9 FM at around 7:30-ish a.m. UTC/GMT time. That’s around 2:30 a.m. EST.
As of the most recent update on the Talisker tracking Web site Bertie and James are about nine nautical miles from reaching the 1,999 left to go mark. They’re rowing together again after repairing the cracked oar, playing music on the loudspeakers and singing along (yesterday Frank Sinatra was in the playlist) while rowing naked in the sun.
Cashy rowing on a sunny day - not naked
If their interview is available to listen to online later in the day, we’ll be sure to let you know where to find it.
There’s a new feature on the Talisker tracking site that allows everyone to send a message to their favorite team and it will appear on the Web site!
Send a note to Bertie and James!
Row like hell, Team FTA!
We Need a Christmas Miracle on the High Seas
If you’re following the high seas adventures of our friends Bertie and James, you know the lads are in a bit of trouble this week. They rowed like demons for most of their first week back in the race, overtaking the Tiger Team and closing in on Boogie!
Bertie and James rowing at night (photo from Aurora)
But, as Antonia pointed out on their Facebook page, the sea is a fickle mistress and they lost two of their six oars to unexpected waves. One of the remaining oars is cracked and unusable – until the seas calm and they can attempt repair. Until then Bertie and James must take turns rowing alone – in 30 knot winds.
So, our smart lads decided to take a break, try to get some rest in what they describe as a cramped, damp, hot, and stinky cabin. (You just knew that’s what it’d be like with two men in a tiny boat for months on the ocean, dincha?)
James rowing before the naked started
Currently they’re in last place and hoping Monday’s weather report of decreased winds and calmer seas will give them a chance to repair the cracked oar and start rowing together again. After a nice rest they’ll get back to their ass-kicking ways!
There’s some discussion on their Facebook page about whether or not the Woodvale rules would allow them to obtain new oars. We hear the team of Row to Recovery lost an intact oar so maybe that’ll float by our boys soon?
Hey Aurora! Throw Bertie and James an oar, will ya?
Maybe Santa could fly low over Patience and carefully drop an oar on board? (No gift wrap necessary!) Or, and this is my favorite plan, we donate money for new oars, hire a motor boat in La Gomera and direct them to Bertie and James’ position! (don’t look at us like that, it could happen, right?)
Most importantly we are behind Bertie and James 100 percent and we’re confident they’ll get to Barbados! They’re reading some messages when they have power to the laptop so stop by their Facebook page or Twitter and cheer them on!
GO BERTIE AND JAMES! WE LOVE YOU!
Facing the Atlantic Rows Naked .. For Charity!
Yep, it’s true. Our boys, James Cash and Bertie Portal, have reached the point in their trans-Atlantic journey where clothes are creating a rashy problem. So they’re currently rowing au naturel, in their birthday suits, buck nekkid.
Sorta makes this competition a bit more exciting, dunnit?
Here’s a vid of the lads taken from the support ship, Aurora (they’re the mostly white boat and you’ll hear Cashy’s voice a coupla times-they’re not naked):
During the six days that Bertie and James have been back in the race a single rower boat dropped out, a two-rower boat dropped out due to seasickness, and a two-rower boat – Team Tom – capsized because of a large wave. The men were able to get their life raft and life jackets off their sinking boat and waited 10 hours in the raft for a cruise ship to rescue them. The entire rescue was coordinated by the Falmouth Coastguard. Tom and Tom are on their way to St. Maartens on the cruise ship.
Here’s another vid of James and Bertie talking about their decision to return to La Gomera, a week ago today. Bertie’s comment about their first start being a “tech dress” prompted Sam to comment that “there’s still an actor in there.”
Patience and her incredibly brave crew have moved from 17th to 14th place since Friday morning. The boys had to spend 14 hours on auto helm, in their cramped, damp, and hot cabin because of rough seas and still made really good time. Bertie reports they were speeding over waves at about 11 knots. They broke an oar in those rough seas and the scuppers (holes through the ship sides which drain water at deck level over the side) need to be repaired. They survived and are doing really well as they’re about 17 nautical miles from the next boat, Boogie, to take 13th place.
Cashy rowing on a sunny day
When you visit the incredibly addicting Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge tracking site, you can see details of their progress. When looking at their statistics, “VMG” means “Velocity Made Good.” It’s the actual boat speed after adjusting for such factors as current and leeway. “DMG” is “Distance Made Good” – the distance traveled after correction for current, leeway, and other errors that may not have been included in the original distance measurement.
Follow Team Facing the Atlantic at the Talisker site, on their Facebook page (where Sam and Anna update regularly when they hear from Bertie and James or the land crew), and on Twitter. It’s damned exciting stuff.
ICAP Makes Huge Donation to Bertie and James and Facing the World!
Breaking news from @facingatlantic on Twitter of a massive donation from ICAP, one of Bertie and James’ sponsors.
Today an announcement has come through from ICAP, one of Facing The Atlantic’s sponsors, confirming that they will be making a truly life changing donation to Bert and James’s chosen charity Facing The World. We are completely blown away by this and will be contacting the boys with the wonderful news. GO BERTIE GO JAMES.
This announcement should put some power into their rowing! The boys set off this morning at 7:47 a.m. La Gomera time. Later today their tracking should be updated on the Talisker Whisky site.
Our fantastic Movie Nights auctions are coming to a close today. You have about 10 hours left to get in your bids!
GO TEAM FACING THE ATLANTIC!
MORE UPDATES! Stephen Moyer Sends a Message From Bertie and James!
We have confirmation from Talisker of info that Steve shared with us yesterday – Bertie and James will launch tomorrow at 7:15 a.m. WET (that’s 2:15 a.m. EST)! GO TEAM!
Good news! Sam just posted the following on Bertie and James’ Facebook page:
Good news from La Gomera. Patience has been fixed. The boys are ready and raring to go tomorrow morning and in true heroic style, stronger than ever. Departure time TBC. They would like to thank all friends and family for messages of support over the last 24 hours, be rest assured, they are determined to get out there and finish the crossing in very good time – watch this space. Good luck to both James and Bertie, two wonderful and very courageous men.
Time to open it, boys!
You’ve heard the news that Bertie and James were towed back to La Gomera today because of a serious electrical problem on Patience. We’re thankful the problem came up while they were still within towing distance of harbor instead of out in the middle of the Atlantic.
Bertie and James in La Gomera
We have word from Bertie’s good friend, Stephen Moyer (you may know him around these parts), and have permission to share it with you. Steve said that Bertie called and asked him to pass on “many thanks to all well wishers” and that “engineers are working to get them out again as soon as possible.” Bertie and James are “determined to get back out there and overtake some people once they are up and running again …”
YIPPEE! This is just the good news we wanted to hear! Thank you, Mr. Moyer, for conveying the message and Thank You, Bertie and James, for sending it along. We’ll let you know when Patience and her awesome crew will return to the race as soon as we get the word.
UPDATE! New Video and Photos of Facing the Atlantic Launch!
From Bertie and Jame’s Facebook we get some bad news: The boys are having severe technical problems with the power supply to vital equipment on board Patience. They have tried to fix it themselves but have had no success. The race organisers made a decision earlier today to tow them back in to La Gomera where Patience can be looked at on land. They are already on their way and will be in at approx 8pm GMT tonight. They are utterly disappointed. No more info at present. Will keep you updated.
Our friends and FTA rowers, Bertie and James, launched their cross-Atlantic rowing voyage for Facing the World children’s charity at noon on Monday, December 5. Before the launch they made a short video for their fans (that’s us!) and you can watch it by clicking the image below. It’s worth it to see how excited they were for the voyage to start and to see Bertie smiling.
He'll still be gray!
Right now the boys are in the 14th position and we gather from some of the updates by other rowing teams that conditions are less than ideal. Tiger Team, a married couple, report the following:
As expected we are finding life onboard tricky. Cabin really moist with sweat and condensation. we are smelly and have found it hard to find the stability to wash or feed. Rowing with waves coming broadside on has been horrible and it seems impossible not to be pushed west – we need to go almost due south to get around our Hierro waypoint. There must also be a northerly current here for some reason – we also get pushed north when on drogue or para-achor.
Remember that Bertie and James called the cabin “a damp coffin” and that’s where they’re supposed get some sleep! Keep at it, Team FTA! We’re with you all the way.
This is what the tracking map at the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Web site looks like. It’s like crack, I swear. It’s updated about three times a day and, right now, the time difference is five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Click the photo to go to the site or you can always click the FTA banner where the tracking site URL is posted.
Here are the photos taken by the Talisker Whisky people of the launch!
James at the helm during launch; Bertie swimming behind?
James and Anna kiss 'goodbye' at launch
Remember you can support Bertie and James in a number of ways, including our ongoing auctions of fine movies signed by Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin. Bid soon, time’s running short!
Row hard, be safe, and enjoy the adventure, Bertie and James!
