Is the desal fixed?

so good to hear you guys sounding full of beans and happy, keep it up, you boys are amazing...

good morning rats 1&1 ,great to hear your mental state have picked pt rats paddle, paddle
do it easy ,like the chap pulling a long lenght of rohe , was asked "why are you pulling the rope along?"
'its better than pushing!"
Bern

Ratwon and Rattoo

You guys are just plain friggin amazing, you two are a very special breed. You are an inspiration. I don't think most people fully understand just what an epic journey you have undertaken...make history boys.

Been tracking you night and day since you began and tell all my mates at every opportunity about your quest. Hey when I go the google map to check your position I can see NZ on the right hand side of the map now!!! You are making great headway in just under two weeks.

Well done to whoever changed the icon on the google map to the lot 41 icon.

The pod casts are fantastic keep them coming. Your back up crew are doing a great job!! Good to hear the desal is fixed.

I spent Thursday on Broken Bay fishing got there before dawn and watched the sun rise and every now and then I would look to the east and think of you two buggers +-600ks offshore in that big and vast ocean paddling, paddling, paddling and huddled up braving those big swells at night. I came back in the evening salty and tired and I had yamaha to do all my paddling. Being out on the bay gave me a tiny taste of what it may be like for you two out there. RESPECT and lot of it is about all I can say.

May your Gods be with you and may your journey be safe and swift, Rats you will do it I know you will ...paddle paddle paddle

Heh Guys,
I want to come and join the greeting party to welcome you to New Zealand. Any pointers from the support crew? I'll be coming from California. Fly to Auckland? Time window? Maybe e-mail me back channel.

You Rats are an inspiration. Thank you.
michael

Hi Justin & James

Been following your progress since Day 1 often checking the website several times a day. You guys are a fantastic (and for once, an extremely worthy!) distraction from work!
It's great to hear your voices and read the blogs. Pat, thanks for keeping us all updated.

Keep up the great work guys, I know you can do it :-)

great stuff lads. keep knocking on that door.you must be near 160 by now ? i'd like to know if you struck red weed after leaving and how much and how thick it was. can you remember back that far ?
check you each hour and i'm stoked. ross

Hi guys

Keep on keeping on!

You are both paddling your way into the history books displaying massive heart and a strength that is only found in a privileged few.
People around the world are in awe while they watch you achieve your dream of this amazing journey.
Journey safe and strong our spirit is with you

Please Lord, What can I say to 2 rats,so as they will know my and every body elset he world over ,thinks of the mighty deed they are doing,and dont leave Patrick out of it also , I am very impress with your report with your rescue plans Patrick your tops.God is watching over them Pat ,and your plans will not be needed.
paddle paddle rats ,I hope those hands you spoke about have healed, paddle paddle dont stop while I talk to you. paddle.
God bless rats with calm seas and a tail wind
see you in the morning
Bern

Sun 25 Nov (Morning Sked)

Detailed Update at Midday.

Hello
Interesting trip and site. Best to both paddlers. Sems to me they have their prep act on just right. Likely 9/10s of their success should be attributed to the careful and thoughtful preparation and the lion share of this should go to all the brains behind the gear. This is not to say in any way that the physical test they are experiencing now is not a huge part of the mix. What I want to convey is in my opinion these two guys have done it right............preparation, preparation, preparation. All successful sea voyages begin and end on the prep factor.

I am curious to ask about the claim of the longest two man kayak expedition claim though. I thought Aussie Tony Brown and American Eric Stiller have that one in the bag, Sydney to Darwin. Haven't done the math on miles so am likely wrong.
Keep it up guys!! Eat, hydrate and sleep.
From Micronesia

Rat a Tat Rat,
Dear Justin and James, I was in a frenzy, kept logging on yesterday and going to page 6 of the log and no word since Friday night. Just now I went back and discovered the new page, how silly of me, but, the purpose of this is to let you that I can get lost at my desk, so what hope would I have out there or without Patrick for that matter, when it came to giving directions or finding my own way home.
No wonder that old aboriginal man I referred to in my previous post reassured me "he knew he wasn't lost ".
So relieved to pick up on yesterdays post and hear that Justin had been able to repair the desal, the haunting rhyme of the Coleridge’s ancient mariner was mentally returning all day to sing 'water water ever where and not a drop to drink.... I pondered you harvesting rain at sea and other ideas of conserving and reusing supplies.
So all that is good too.
Further more we are better reassured of your safety by reading of the additional and now well understood and thorough recovery procedures you have so beautifully dovetailed in this expedition. I feel that in your preparation you did that so we would not be concerned should there have been any unforeseen natural disaster. In planning for your own safety I feel reassured for mine.
Yes your expedition is all so brilliantly imagined, researched, considered, planned, designed, constructed, tested, implemented, executed, learned, communicated, endured and paddled. All brilliantly completed before you entered the water. Basically you completed the journey before you left, this time you are taking us across the divide of our own consciousness whilst you are left free in paddling meditation to see where we might like to go next in our Aquarian rising tide of universal and human consciousness.
As we now take all this considered preparation into deeper emotional perspectives we are offered a unique opportunity to personally recognise and take a moment to study and feel a rising sense of humility in our beings as we take in the realisation that in you exercising your dream you have created new intensity and self awareness within the hearts of all the contributors to this forum.
In your symbolic chrysalis, wrapped so safely in your cocoon of Lot 41 you are presenting us all with a unique present, an experiential opportunity of transformational self awareness, yes, to states of higher consciousness.
Humanity is starving in longing for this internal safety for heart felt community connection, honesty, ethics, and general trust worthiness, decency and courtesy.
Here, through your expedition we are being given a unique opportunity to come alive "spiritually alive".
This is the new clear loving energy of the universe in this Age of Aquarius where the desal itself has become an additional symbolic replica for cleansing our waters as you young men lead the world to new heights of pure consciousness.
As with the man who stilled the water you "paddle across the Tasman ditch" (Tasman means of great faith) see http://www.baby-names-meanings.net/meaning/tasman.html
Moses also made history a while ago by symbolically leading the Israelites to safety and out of the clutches of Pharaoh when he opened the Red sea of consciousness to safety for his people whilst Pharaoh’s soldiers and tax collectors were swamped. What a timely coincidence!
You men “Rats of Tasman” are universal God sends in this age of 2007.
So my guess is that you could probably take any part of 40 days and 40 nights to make this crossing just as you had predicted in your plan.
Blessings, love and deep appreciation for your gift to us on this full moon morning of November 25 2007. The beginning of a new age as you also symbolically and fearlessly have planned and lead the way to Australia’s future by Crossing the Ditch.
“If we change the way we look at things the things we look at change” how true this is.
Phduck and Carol Isabel, ringing in our heart with you. as you float.

DYNAMIC AND LIVE EXPEDITION ANALYSIS

We have just published our live and dynamic expedition analysis "beta" for those of you out there that just cannot get enough data and information.

Please find the Expedition Analysis Here.

Please submit any feedback, comments and suggestions to the discussion group we have started for this purpose.

Big Thanks to our Head Engineer, Luke, at Race Recon for initiating this project when the team left Forster on top of his already mammoth workload.

Enjoy!

Hi Justin & James,

Thanks to Patrick & Luke for keeping us all right up there with all the info on your epic, the website is quite addictive - well done.
Great to see some good progress, keep your spirits up and paddle on into history...

"Paddle away, paddle away,
Strive and strain and dare,
But never let your guard down,
'Til your well and truly there."

We're with you all the way, take care

Hey J and Cass,

Nearly to the 160! You guys are putting in an outstanding effort and everyone is extremely proud of you. "One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name" - you two are certainly living up to that. Maintain the rage!! But most of all stay safe and look out for each other. We're all right behind you 110%.
I'll see you both in NZ. Cya soon bro,

Oni

Cheer up boys! I'm always thinking of you and I can't wait to hear you again

Justin & Cas, I just got off the phone to Dad who is keenly following the website, its his homepage and he checks it all the time and wishes you guys well on your trip. Got some big milestones not far off with almost 1000 k's clocked up and the 160 point almost reached, that must feel pretty damn good! It would get tough out there - but when you start to get frustrated just think at least your not sitting in an office like i am living vicariously though you guys - instead your out there breaking records, and you have the whole of Australia following you (even Leunig!!)
Keep on paddling and we're with you all the way : )
And thanks so much Patrick for doing such an amazing job at keeping us all up to date.
Ellie May

Rats 1&2 my keep you chins up heros paddle paddle I have been asking the good Lord to keep his eye on the two of you, paddle paddle on ,just think, you are just about half way there then its downhill from there Go Rats Go,
bern

Patrick, I have not been able to find any descriptions of Lot 41 - eg. length, beam, laden and unladen weight, etc. Any chance of finding a few moments to put these on the site somewhere? Many thanks,
Jeff1

Hey guys, to keep the guys motivated tell them about the current news stuff if you can. It will recharge their batteries and give them something to think about for a while.

Also, you should get the rats to speak to a Radio show via the Sat phone to highten their profile and highten awareness.

Keep going guys

No pain, No gain!

yeh? yeh

Good Morning Rats of the Tasman, I remain in awe of your efforts, two hour kayak trips leave me exhausted! I keep a Winston Churchill quote in view at work "If you are going through hell, keep going". I hope some restoring sleep, some tailwinds and good tides come your way soon! Thinking of your endeavour constantly. Mandy

CONGRATULATIONS ON HITTING THE 160 MARK RATTIES!

Hey Boys.

How you doing? Its Lisa (from Ryans Bar), and Lee (333). We've been constantly logging onto your site to find the latest updates and are so amazed by how much you've achieved. Bet you must have cabin fever real bad, im sure any games of 'i spy' is real old by now with nothing new to see. Hopefully only another fornight or so till your back on land and we'll have to have some celebration drinks when you get back to Syd. All the best

xoxo

Hey guys, just dropping in to say hello and to cheer you on again! We were listening to your podcasts with a group of mates over the weekend and they were all amazed. I hope you're feeling better this afternoon and that you've made some progress today that is putting you in good spirits.
xx