One of our presents to each other this year was a couple of new cameras. I started doing photography when I purchased my first SRL camera when I was 13 and had a full color darkroom in my bedroom shortly thereafter. I got into doing some model photography during my first career as a freelance graphic designer (yes, when I was young and single), but dropped it all when we made the move into software development.

So, I am looking forward to getting re-acquainted with my old hobby, and I’ll try to start including better images in the blog for you. Here are some of my first shots with the new Olympus SP-560 from Whitefish, Montana during our Christmas vacation.

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I’m writing from our ski cabin in Whitefish, Montana. We’re getting
dumped on with snow, so I thought I would take the opportunity to
thoroughly test out my new Ktrac tracted drive and front ski fitted to
my Cannondale mountain bike.

The reason I was originally interested in Ktrac was as a way to keep my bike training up over the winter. The Atlantic ocean crossing is less than a year away, and I would like to have developed a HUGE base before I start really getting into some serious distance training this Summer. The plan is to get WiTHiN out to the Pacific often throughout the winter, spring and summer for some extended trips. I need to start developing a good base now, and mixing in some outdoor cycling this winter is a great way to add miles to my training week and break it up a bit.

Also, I am still trying to arrange another attempt at the 24 hour
human powered boat distance record for possibly June this spring. I’ve
been talking to the current 24 hour distance record holder Carter
Johnson (240 km in 24 hours on a surfski) about racing me in June and
he’s into it, so we’ll see. It will be quite a challenge. We’ve also
discussed the possibility of inviting some other forms of human
powered water travel such as a rowing skull, and an outrigger canoe.

Back to the Ktrac – first of all, here is/was my expectations/hopes.
At a very minimum, I wanted to be able to bike over machine grooved
ski and cross country ski trails up decent grades. Next, I thought it
would be great to have enough traction and floatation to make way
through some fresh powder – not too deep – maybe a few inches on a
packed base.

The Ktrac rear tracted wheel replaces my current standard knobby
mountain bike tire and the installation is very simple – no more
complicated that replacing a wheel. It comes with it’s own 8 speed
cassette and my rear caliper break fits onto the Ktrac rim. I also
installed the Ktrac front ski and used it exclusively for this test
because I had forgotten my front wheel at home. The Ktrac rear wheel
is VERY heavy. I don’t have a scale with me, but it’s got to be 15 to
20 pounds.

I started out sliding down my steep driveway on a layer of hard packed
snow/ice. The front ski was surprisingly like a front wheel! It is a
short ski with some curves cut into the sides like popular down hill
skis. Those parabolic curves bite into the snow and carve nice, tight
turns. It took a few seconds to get used to a bit of a delay in the
input/output compared to a front wheel, but overall it was fairly easy
to adjust to.

The Ktrac rear tracted wheel provided enough traction to climb back up
my driveway without any noticeable slipping. I’m not sure any knobby
wheel would have enough traction for this driveway – possibly a
studded tire tough. The street out front climbs a very steep hill to
the top of the hill our house is built on. Cycling on the road was
fairly easy except when small rocks got caught under the front ski.
When I reached the top of the hill, I took the bike off-road onto a
groomed ski trail. The small trail from the road to the ski trail was
foot-packed, but very deep snow. I had to push the bike through this.

When I reached the flat section of the ski trail, I was surprised that
I could not pedal the Ktrac through this at all! Both the front ski
and the rear track sunk way deep into the snow – even through the
snowplow packed top layer. I was able to ride down the hills though,
as some speed really helped me get enough floatation to stay on top of
the snow. Once I had some speed up, I was able to move across
flattened sections better, but once the inevitable slow-down came, the
Ktrac would get sink into the snow and get stuck.

The downhill runs were fun, and I can see now why Ktrac seems to be
marketing their drive as a way to ride your mountain bike down ski
hills. If you are looking for another way to ski down mountains, then
I think the Ktrac could provide you with loads of exhilarating fun and
challenge. This is not what I wanted to use the Ktrac for though – I
have a ski closet packed full of downhill skis, cross country skis and
mountain boards for that.

Overall, making way over the ski trail was a pain – I was constantly
having to get off and push over the flats and uphills while enjoying
short downhill runs at full speed. I’m not sure if a knobby tire would
have fared any better, but I am certain a good winter knobby tire
would have been better on the road which was the only place the Ktrac
sort of worked.

I do think that I could get the Ktrac to work for me though… I think
what it needs is more flotation. I was talking to the inventor of the
all terrain vehicle who was exhibiting beside us at Wired Magazine’s NextFest this
summer in LA. He told me that they designed the skis to distribute 1
pound per square inch of ski area to provide enough flotation to keep
their mahine on top of the snow. If you look at
snowboards, or downhill power skies, they all use something close to
this formula.

I think the Ktrac could be built into the rear wheel of a recumbent
bike, with two skis mounted on each side of the rear Ktrac drive. The
front wheel could be replaced with ski as well, but longer and wider
than the standard Ktrac front ski. If the two rear skis were depth
adjustable, you could set them such that the Ktrac sunk deep enough
into the snow for good traction. The other benefit of the trike
approach would be stability the triangulation provides.

I would be fun to experiment with this and I think that maybe the M5
low racer just might be a good platform for the experiment. It already
has 700 cc rear wheel, so the Ktrac would fit. I could fabricate two
arms which clamp to the M5 frame to hold the outrigger skis.

——————————————-
Be part of a WORLD RECORD.
Support Greg’s quest to become the
fastest human to cross the Atlantic ocean
under his own power with a $30 “Across With Greg”
sponsorship that includes YOUR NAME on his boat “WiTHiN“.
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/sponsorship

I’ve been busy getting the prototype ocean crossing boat “WiTHiN” ready for a training and testing mini-expedition to the Pacific ocean on Canada’s west coast.

I need to accomplish two tests, the first is a multi-day trip through protected waters which will be a great opportunity to experience what it will be like to sit in the capsule and pedal all day. I need to learn more about how my equipment handles the ocean environment, how to cook while at sea, where to store supplies, communications, etc, etc.

above image courtesy of Pacific Surf School in Tofino, BC

The second test will be a whole lot more fun. I have been speaking with Jay Bowers of Pacific Surf School in Tofino, BC on the Pacific coast of British Columbia about helping me experience some winter open Pacific conditions safely. He really knows the area well and has a few spots in mind where we can ‘nose-out’ into some really big swells with a RIB boat accompanying me for safety. This could be a second trip out west – not sure yet, as I am still trying to orchestrate it all.

Check out this animated map of the swells in the Tofino area:

http://wavewatch.com/Surf-Forecast-Region.php?RegionID=19

On Christmas day, the forecast is for 32 foot waves! Out further (shown in PINK on the map above), the swell is 48 feet high! According to my buddy Stephan who has sailed the smallest sail boat in history around Vancouver Island, in winter this coast is known as ‘the graveyard of the Pacific’.

Don’t worry, I’m not going out in 32 foot swells. At least not if there is big wind.

Believe it or not, a South Korean TV production company wants to fly in to film the sea trials and interview me. Go figure.

I have been very busy getting WiTHiN ready for these sea trials. I’ll take you on a bit of a tour through the following photos:

The armrest gunwales are now covered with a white vinyl to cover over the sharp fiberglass ugliness. I also have foam padding under the arm rest in front of the steering handles on the gunwales. I installed two cleat-cams to secure the outriggers in. The outriggers slide in and out through two aluminum tubes behind my seat. To pull them IN, I use two cords through pulleys. To lock the floats tight up against the hull, I just slip the cords through the cleat cams. The cleat cams can also secure the rudder steering lines if i ever wanted to lock the rudder. I have bungee cord running through hooks on the gunwale wall to secure supplies and equipment.

Show above from bottom to top: My personal EPIRB (yellow), on the wall is my LED flashlight held in place on a Velcro strip, my water proof Rugged-Tech keyboard, up higher on the wall is my diving knife, the yellow Trimble Nomad computer, and up top on the instrument bar is my GPS. A secondary GPS is built into the Nomad which is running Memory-Map Pocket Navigator. This very slick piece of software allows me to plot my position on a moving map and as well, plot the position of tankers who are transmitting a radar signal with the addition of an AIS reciever.

On the floor in front of my seat is 6 liters of drinking/cooking water.

On the far right is my air horn (red horn) and on the bottom (blue) is my JetBoil cooking system from one of my sponsors. This is a fantastic gas stove which fits onto a neoprene protected cup. I can boil enough water to cook an entire dehydrated meal in about 60 seconds while HOLDING the entire stove. JetBoil also sent me a coffee press, repair tools, spare parts, and a hanging kit which I plan on using as a gimble – I’ll just hang the JetBoil from the roof when boiling water. I used this system on our Broken Island kayak trip and LOVED it!

Lower right is my VHF two-way radio and above that are the electric switches for the vent fan, sound system from another sponsor – Rock The Boat Audio. Left to right on the swinging instrument bar is my Garmin GPS, SRM meter, Satellite radio and the LCD monitor which shows video from the camera mounted on the top deck. At the very top of the photo you can see my pedals, the chain-ring and part of the drive leg.

Behind the seat is the 12 volt marine battery, to the right is a coiled line and behind that is the fire extinguisher. Hanging on the right is the headrest. the blue and white box on the left gunwale is the AC charger for the 12 volt marine battery. Under the seat is an additional 3 liters of drinking water with a drinking tube. Upper left is the vent fan.

Behind the seat is my vinyl covered mattress and I have 3 gas onto of that which will be held down by bungee cords which hold the mattress down. The sacks contain my sleeping bad, blankets, clothes and 3 days worth of food.

This photo shows my navigation light which is mounted on a pole bolted to the rudder tube.

The sleeping compartment in the stern.

—————————————————

I’ve been trying to keep my training up this winter, so our (early) Christmas presents to each other (Helen and I) was cross country skis which we have been taking full advantage of. These photos are from Lake Louise with our good friends Val and Gary Erickson last weekend.

I’ve been back onto the recumbent bike at the gym for an hour a day. I will be increasing time spend on the bent as I approach the mini-expedition, then increasing time and intensity even more leading up to a possible repeat of the 24 hour human powered boat distance record attempt this June in Calgary with endurance kayaking super-star Carter Johnson.

Aside from another shot at the 24 hour record, I have Boston marathon with Helen in April, so my running right now is in recovery/maintenance mode – about 30 to 45 minutes per day on the elliptical trainer.

the plan is to make many extended WiTHiN trips to the west coast this winter Spring and Summer. Hopefully by Spring, we’ll have the actual ocean boat construction completed and I’ll be able to switch from the prototype to training on the real thing!

Rick Willoughby and I are collaborating on the ocean boat design right now. Here is a sneak preview – it may end up VERY different than the prototype boat:

WiTHiN is finally back from the paint shop, and she looks fantastic! My friend Bob Douglas did an amazing job with the finishing and painting.

Bob started by applying a thin layer of solid filler and sanded it smooth. This filled in the rough areas where we glassed the deck down to the kayak hull. It was pretty rough before and you probably didn’t notice it that much because I always tried to hide that area in previous images. But now it’s very smooth and nicely sealed up.

We decided to paint the floats with truck box liner – that textured rubbery paint that you find in truck beds. The reason was to save some time for Bob in finishing those floats which were not surface finished, and also because they would constantly be rubbed and banged into by docks, etc. The box liner is pretty durable, and when the floats are retracted, they don’t touch the water so the texture won’t cause any drag.

Bob Douglas did an incredible job!

More photos are at the “Boat Building” photo gallery.

As I indicated in my previous blog post, the goal for this years Las Vegas marathon was to pace my wife Helen in for a personal best, and a Boston qualifying time goal of 3 hours, 50 minutes. I am very happy to report our MISSION COMPLETE! We smashed her goal and finished in 3 hours, 44 minutes. The time clock in the finish photo above differs from the actual chip time due to over FOUR minutes of congestion getting through the crowds at the start line!

Helen and I made a deal years ago to do the Boston marathon together, so outside of Ironman training, we’ve both been trying to qualify for Boston. I got lucky and hit my 3 hours, 20 minute time last year, so it looks like we will both be going to Boston in April.

We were in Las Vegas with Helen’s sister and AOG photographer extraordinaire Jennifer Armand and her husband Cyrille. It was Cyrille’s first marathon and I designed his training program and coached him through it. Our goal for Cyrille was 3:30 and he finished in 3:28 AND a Boston marathon qualification! That’s amazing for a first marathon!!!

Left to Right: Helen, Greg and Cyrille

“Across With Greg” sponsorship list growing!

Thank you all a million times over for your support! The list of “Across with Greg” names to go on WiTHiN is growing every day. Here is a list of all the sponsors to date:

http://www.pedaltheocean.com/Sponsors/index.html

As I indicated in my last blog post, I am planing on a mini-expedition to the Gulf islands this month or January for further testing. WiTHiN is being painted now, and I plan on adding logos for my corporate and small business sponsors to her before the mini-expedition. I am expecting some press to cover the event, and we are talking to Discovery Channel about filming a follow-up to their original segment on Pedal the Ocean.

For as little as $250, you could have your company’s logo on WiTHiN for the mini-expedition. Click here for more details:

$250 small logo & plaque:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/3918769

$400 small logo, 3 T-shirts & plaque:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/4110352

$1000 bigger logo, 10 T-shirts & plaque:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/4110433

$3000 medium logo, advertising content package & plaque:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/3924421

$10,000 major sponsor:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/3924810

$25,000 title sponsor:
http://www.cafepress.com/sponsorgreg/3924827

For an over-view of all of my sponsorship products, click here:
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/sponsorship/index.html

My Nomad ultra-rugged PDA

Today’s Blog post has been transmitted wireless via my new NOMAD rugged PDA computer. My good friend Julia from one of my sponsors Trimble Corporation just sent me their brand new Nomad rugged PDA. It features integrated wireless, Bluetooth, a GPS, 1 GB of flash storage and a high res sunlight visible VGA display.

Plus, you can throw it down the stairs into pool of hot lava and it will still work! (well, I haven’t tested the lava part yet, but it is water proof to a meter of water for 30 minutes).

I have my water proof “cool series” USB keyboard plugged into it, so I can type instead of the hunt and peck method o using the stylus to pick out letters on the display keyboard.

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Sponsors
Thanks so much for your support with my Across With Greg name on the boat sponsorship program!! At $30 per name on WiTHiN, I need to sell about about 3300 names to pay for 1/2 of the expedition costs. That’s my goal, and so far I have 56 Across With Greg subscribers.

You can help by spreading the word. Send an email out to some friends today letting them know about my project.

EASY and fast: Click here to donate $30

EASY and fast: Click here to donate $100 and buy a PTO T-shirt
——————–

Sea Trails

I have been communicating with the WestCoast Paddler group about my upcoming sea trial trip. I need to accomplish two things:

1. LIVING TEST: I need to spend time in WiTHiN getting used to long pedalling days and living aboard so that I can feedback any changes that are required to the new expedition boat design. For example, one of the things I have recently discovered, is how difficult it is to enter the rear sleeping area with my feet toward the stern. I may have to make the deck over the cockpit a few inches higher.

I’ll be experimenting with cooking while at sea, moving about the boat, cleaning, bathroom, navigation, communications, etc.

Ocean rower Greg Spooner thinks this is the most important experience I can gain to prepare for an ocean crossing.

2. ADVANCED SEAS TEST: I need to gain some open ocean experience for both myself and WiTHiN. I would like to test how she surfs down large swells, and the effect of heavy winds from every direction, her stability abeam the sea, etc. I would also like to test how effective a sea anchor is if lashed to the bow or the stern.

The Westcoast paddlers agree that perhaps these are two separate tests. For test number 1, a route through the protected Gulf Islands will probably work well, as I have access to marinas and services and help if I run into trouble. For test #2, they recommend leaving a protected port and nosing into some more advanced ocean conditions during an appropriate weather window. I might like to have an RIB boat accompany me during this test. We inserted two stainless steel tubes through WiTHiN’s bow and stern (I call them her nose-ring holes) to securely hold a towing line.

My mini-expedition stuff table

For the living test, I am starting to make a list of supplies, equipment and safety gear a that I will require for 3 days on the water. I’ve set up a table outside my shop to hold everything I think I’m going to need. Some of these items are linked to more details:

1. Marine radio
2. Personal EPIRB
3. Camp food for 3 days
4. Stove fuel
5. GPS maps of gulf islands for Garmin GPS (CA001R inside passage)
6. Navigation light
7. Fire extinguisher
8. First-aid kit
9. Compressed air horn
10. Tool kit
11. Bilge pump
12. Paddles
13. Jetboil camp Stove
14. Water bags
15. Sleeping bag (should be good for 0 degrees C)
16. Blanket
17. Sponges
18. Extra AA batteries
19. Nomad computer & Rugged Tech keyboard
20. Digital Camera and video cam
21. Cell phone
22. Garmin Etrex Venture Cx GPS
23. Toilet stuff (don’t ask)
24. Bathroom kit
25. Clothes (warm!)
26. Gulf islands chart (paper)
27. Emergency numbers and frequencies
28. iPod
29. SRM
30. Bike shoes
31. Life jacket
32. Throw line
33. Compass
34. Neoprene booties
35. Extra line
36. Towel
37. Coffee
38. Coffee cup
39. Flash light
40. Knife

A small fire-extinguisher is mounted behind the seat

I’ll be working with the Westcoast paddlers on the exact route I will take through the Gulf islands. As far as the advanced seas test goes, I might just play that by ear. If the weather is bad, and I get a safe opportunity to venture out into the straight of Juan de Fuca, then I may go for it. Or, I may try to plan that for another trip.

Gulf Islands

I finally convinced someone to paint WiTHiN for me! She’ll be trailered out to Bob Douglas’s paint shop this afternoon.

————————
Marathon training

Helen and I are competing in the Las Vegas marathon this Sunday. It was my goal to go for a PR 3:15 finishing time, but I don’t think that is going to happen this time around. My Achilles tendon, calf and hamstring on my left side is still really bothering me. I’ve been keeping up with my training, but I am afraid that an all-out effort might injure me more, so I’ve decided to pace Helen instead. Helen has been very close to her Boston Marathon qualifying time, so we’re going to see if she can nail it in Vegas with me pacing her. Please send her an email and wish her luck. helen@justhelen.com

My brother in-law Cyrille is also going down with us and he’s doing his first marathon, so you might as well go ahead and send him a good luck email also! CArmand@metafore.ca

Thank you all for your input and advice regarding my sponsorship offerings. In the end, my conclusion was that it is as important to build a community of support as it is to raise the capital that I require to pull it off.

http://www.pedaltheocean.com/sponsorship

Therefore, I have decided to sell “Across With Greg” sponsorships that include your name on the expedition boat WiTHiN at an very affordable level of $30. I am also offering packages of 3 and 5 names for $75 and $100. I figure this might make a cool Christmas gift, so with each purchase you get a nice printed folding card that describes what the Pedal the Ocean Atlantic record attempt expedition is about, and features the recipient’s name that will be printed on the boat.

$30 Across With Greg – name on the boat sponsorship

I am also selling T-shirt + “Across With Greg” name packages for $100, and premium expedition gear packages for $150.

$100 Across With Greg Sponsorship

$150 “Across With Greg” Premium Expedition Gear Sponsorship

I have received quite a bit of interest from small businesses interested in having their logos displayed on WiTHiN for an affordable price level. I am offering a small business or group sponsorship package which include your company logo on the boat for $250 – pretty reasonable I think. These small business packages include a framed plaque signifying your companies support for the expedition.

$250 Small Business or Group Sponsorship

I have also developed additional sponsorship products that range in price from $400 to a title sponsor position for $25,000.

$400 Silver Small Business Sponsorship

I think you will find the online store easy to use. I accept VISA, MasterCard and PayPal. All sponsorships include a 10% donation to KidPower.

To challenge the current 43 day human powered Atlantic crossing record, I estimate it will end up costing me over $200,000. If any of you are interested, I can provide you with a breakdown of the budget. Assistance in the form of sponsorship income is GREATLY appreciated, but I also value the support you all have given me and hopefully will continue to give me in other, non-financial ways. Just being out there listening and offering your feedback helps me more than you can know! THANK YOU!

If you can’t join me as an official sponsor, then perhaps you could pass the web site URL along to some friends who you think might be interested in Pedal The Ocean record attempt and/or my KidPower school education program. If we can get news of my quest spread in a viral way, then $30 per name can really add up!!!

Adding this as a signature in your email is also something that would help:

——————————————-
Be part of a WORLD RECORD.
Support Greg’s quest to become the
fastest human to cross the Atlantic ocean
under his own power with a $30 “Across With Greg”
sponsorship that includes YOUR NAME on his boat “WiTHiN”.
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/sponsorship
——————————————-

The sponsorship main page where you can make your purchases is here:
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/sponsorship/index.html

A list of current Across with Greg and corporate sponsors is here:
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/Sponsors/index.html

The main Pedal the Ocean web site is here:
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/index.html

To stay on top of my progress, the Blog web site is here:
http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPB/HPBmain.html

More information on KidPower can be found here:
http://www.pedaltheocean.com/kidpower/index.html

I thank you for your support. I’m not sure I would be doing this if it wasn’t for you. (well, I probably still would, but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun!).

Best regards,
Greg Kolodziejzyk

This is the instrument bar with the video monitor mounted on it

One of the things I noticed during the Ghost Lake test last Saturday was how difficult it was to see clearly out the front window. In fact, I remember Bob Stuart warned me about that many months ago and I didn’t pay it any attention.

The video bullet camera mounted on a pivot tube glassed to the deck.

My solutions are to coat the window with an anti-rain solution, add a wind-shield wiper, or a video camera and monitor. I discussed the options with Rick and decided to try the video camera for a couple of reasons:

1. On the ocean, salt water will eventually cake the window with salt which probably would be shed away using one of the window coatings available.

2. A wiper would only allow me to see a small area directly in front of me, and I really need some way of watching for traffic 360 degrees around me

So – the video camera sounded like the best solution, as I can pan the camera around and spot for traffic or use it to assist with navigation during sea trials.

This is a view of the instrument bar from the cockpit seat. The instrument bar rotates around to tuck all of that stuff away against the deck wall when not being used.

Also – I happened to have a pretty decent camera that I bought back when I was building Critical Power streamliner for the 24 hour human powered distance record attempt. At the time, we wanted to recline my seat such that I would not require a canopy bubble to view out of, and instead, use a video monitor and camera. That didn’t work out to well, as it was almost impossible to balance using only the 2D image from the camera screen.

The is a photo of the complex looking wiring harness for the video system!

It took me a few days of messing around, but I have something that I think will work. It’s my low-light CCD camera mounted in a pivoting stainless steel tube that is glassed to the top deck just behind the front windshield. I can control where the camera points from inside twisting a knob connected to the pivot tube that holds the camera. The image is displayed on an LCD screen that conveniently mounted to my instrument bar. To turn in on and off, I mounted a ‘push-once-one / push-again-off’ switch on my steering handle. I wanted the switch to be within easy reach because viewing out using the camera isn’t something that i would waste battery power on all of the time. I would use it occasionally, and wanted an easy way of switching it on and off again quickly for a look around.

The switch is mounted on top of the steering handle

I took the monitor apart and dipped the circuit board in plasti-dip to water proof it. Then I siliconed most of the joins in the plastic case, plus a silicon seal around the LCD monitor itself. All of the wires and connections are either coated with silicon or wrapped with the super cool tape that I found called AtomicTape. It’s amazing stuff – water proof and it stretches and sticks to itself.

The pivot control is a knob that I can turn from the cockpit seat

Ben spread some fairing compound onto the floats in an attempt to “un-boulder-ize” them a bit. He also spend a couple of hours sanding them smooth-ish.

Next is paint.

This image shows the wood bar that locks the outriggers in

Oh – last thing. I was thinking about how the outriggers were slipping out during the jet-boat test the other day. I have pins to lock them in place so they won’t inadvertently slide out, but inserting the pins is a pain and I just didn’t want to bother. So during the wave test, I ended up talking to Joey with my cell phone in one hand and pulling on both of the outrigger pull cords with the other hand trying to keep them locked in as WiTHiN was slammed by waves. I had to work the rudder controls by dropping the phone, making a steering correction, then fumbling for the phone again.

Anyhow.. I needed an easier way to lock those floats in tight to the hull when not being used. I purchased a couple of cleat cams which I can run the pull cords through. Also as a fail-safe, I made a wood dowel that slips between the two handles on the sliders that lock the floats in place.

We just finished two successful tests out at Ghost Lake on Friday and Saturday. Everything went pretty well according to plan. Here’s the video:

On Friday, Ben and I off-loaded WiTHiN into Ghost lake and tested the new trolley system for launching and the outriggers. The floats retract and extend very easily. When they are extended, I can stand on WiTHiN and walk onto her top deck without any issue at all – very stable. When retracted, I noticed that WiTHiN is a bit tippier than before but that is probably due to the additional weight of the floats and hardware above the roll center. It was so slight that it didn’t need to be offset with additional ballast. For ballast, I was using 50 pounds, plus my 40 pound battery, plus about 15 pounds for the wood bed frame in the back (plus my weight).

I still could not get WiTHiN to tip over from a seated position. She rocked from side to side quite a bit, but it was impossible to tip her over. We capsized WiTHiN again, this time with the floats retracted and without me in the cockpit. It was difficult to tip WiTHiN upside down, and she righted immediately, so I know that she is still capsize-safe with the floats on and in.

With the outriggers extended, I was able to stand up, climb into the sleeping area, extract my emergency paddles from under the bed frame, sit on the deck and paddle. As I was sitting on the deck paddling with my legs in the cockpit, I could rest my feet on the steering handles and steer while I paddle- that worked out quite well.

Unloading WiTHiN is a bit of a pain, but it’s a one to two man job now rather than a whole crew. Ben and I made a trolley out of two 700 bike wheels to sit below the drive leg. To deal with the leaky drive leg bay, I just sealed up the plug on the bottom of the boat. Now the drive leg is sort of in there permanently until we cut the silicon seal open. The trolley protects the prop from the ground when launching the boat. Ben made two ramps for the trailer that we can roll WiTHiN down and walk her right into the water. Then someone needs to get wet up to their knees to take the trolley off.

On Saturday I met my sister Theresa, Joey Weber, his friend Peter at Ghost lake. Peter has a jet-boat for wake boarding and was kind enough to pull his boat out of winter storage just to help me out with this wake test. It was so cold on Saturday morning that the section of water over the boat ramp was frozen solid! We had to break the ice apart before launching our boats.

The jet-boat wave test was a blast. I know that this is nothing like the Atlantic ocean, but it is one step in getting out to the ocean for more advanced testing. It would have been impossible for Peter to capsize WiTHiN – and even if she did, there would be no issues at all.

I was very surprised to find that my dorade vents were pretty well water proof! I was repeatedly hit with a wall of water from the wake boat and never got wet inside – not even a drip. I even had the vents open and the vent fan running. Ben poured water directly into the vent and it was still dry inside. My hatch is still leaky though, but only if we pour water directly over the seam. It never leaked during the jet-boat test, or during our second capsize test on Friday.

I found it very difficult to see through my front window. No problem seeing through the vertical port light windows, but my front windshield was both fogged up due to the cold, and covered with water droplets. I may have to add a small manual wiper blade to the front window. A 360 degree video camera and monitor would work very well and would allow me to spot other boat traffic 360 degrees around WiTHiN, but I’m really unsure about that wet environment and video electronics. Any ideas?

Next step with testing is to get to the ocean. I have been speaking with the WestCoastPaddler community about advice on a route to take through the gulf islands, winter kayaking off Vancouver Island and finding someplace where I can expose WiTHiN and myself to some more advanced winter sea conditions. I will keep you posted. I would like to make the trip mid December. The goal is first to gain some experience living aboard WiTHiN – cooking, bathroom, sleeping, long days and secondly to test her (and me) in some more typical ocean conditions.

I’ve been following Justin and James crossing of the Tasman sea in their two-man live-aboard kayak. They are doing amazingly well. It is making me think more about December of 2008 and my own ocean crossing. I need to get moving! There is SOOO much to do between now and then. The very next step is to try and finalize a design for the new boat, then find a boat builder. Rick is thinking that it might be something like 30 feet long and just as narrow!! WiTHiN is 18 feet long now.

All for now – thanks to Theresa for filming the action on Saturday and HUGE thanks to Joey and Peter for the wake board boat.

Thank you very much for your response to my survey request and your emails commenting on the T-shirt designs. My “Across with Greg” sponsorship concept is to offer individual sponsors a Pedal The Ocean expedition T-shirt and your name on the expedition boat WiTHiN.

If you have not yet voted on where you think the price point should be, please vote here:

Across With Greg Poll

Most of your email comments regarding the various designs that I am considering for the T-shirts have resulted in more Pedal The Ocean Expedition logo designs, so I have added the following two concepts. Your feedback on these would be greatly appreciated.

Greg Spooner who is a member of my advisory team rowed across the Atlantic ocean in 2006 with a team of 3 other guys. He told me that they raised over $20,000 to help offset the enormous costs in their ocean crossing by selling T-shirts and names on their boat, plus they raised an additional $50 thousand for the American Lung Association.

I might also add that I would plan for 10% of all donations to go toward our KidPower expansion project, and certainly every penny beyond what my actual costs are in crossing the Atlantic will be invested into KidPower.

Our modern sedentary lifestyle is putting our kids at risk of becoming the first generation that will have a life expectancy shorter than that of their parents. Childhood obesity can cause poor self esteem and be socially isolating. In adulthood, being seriously over-weight can often lead to illness and premature death. Unfortunately, between 10 and 15% of our children are obese. Obesity in childhood often leads to obesity in adulthood. Most parents want the best for their children – including the chance to lead a long and healthy life. For obese children this goal is seriously threatened.

KidPower is a national education program focused on developing young children into healthy, active and positive people. Kid Power will deliver tools for children, families and schools to promote healthy lifestyles delivered through:

1. KidPower In-School Presentations

2. KidPower Blog

3. KidPower Podcasts

4. KidPower Newsletters

5. KidPower Website

6. KidPower Competitions

“HUMAN POWER IS THE POWER FROM ‘WiTHiN’ ! AS A SOCIETY,
WE NEED TO START USING IT, OR WE RISK LOSING IT”

My school talks and programs aim to show children what the human body is capable of and inspire children to get out and get physical. Not everyone is capable of setting human powered speed records but we are all capable of more than we think. By showing what is possible I hope to ignite imagination in children in physical activity and technology. I think my presentations help expel fears in children by giving candid question and answer sessions.

As always, your continued input is welcome! You can add your comments to the comments section in this blog, or email me at greg@justgreg.com

How much would you be willing to contribute for a personal sponsorship to the PTO expedition? A small donation would buy you a T-shirt your name on the ocean boat WiTHiN.

The Spirit of Canada sailing boat raised millions by selling $100 T-shirts which included the sponsors name on the hull of the open 60 sail boat that they built to participate in the Vendee Globe around the world race which is on now.

I love that idea because it builds a community where everyone can feel like they are part of the project. I would love to have you join me on my human powered Atlantic crossing record attempt!

Would you please respond to this poll? It will give me some insight into the best way to market this concept – if at all.

Across With Greg Sponsorship Poll

How much would you pay for a PTO T-shirt that includes your name on the expedition boat WiTHiN? NO, I would not purchase this $25 $50 $75 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $500 Current Results

Following are some ideas that I designed for the T-shirt choices. Please let me know what you like or don’t like about this concept and the designs either by commenting to this blog post, or email greg@pedaltheocean.com