• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Pointless Endeavours (Arbitrary Pursuits; Not Record Attempts)

On the contrary, I think this is one of the most interesting posts I've read here for some time. However, it must be said, I personally disagree with the conclusion that you reached. The quest, focus and countless hours may have seemed pointless, but that's a relative term. I have a pet theory, still undeveloped, that an utter and complete focus/understanding of any given facet of reality - if understood in its full context as part of a referential totality - can grant deep insight into the totality of the universe. No, really. I'd further posit that although you reached the stage where you thought you had 'wasted' part of your life, this is only as much of a 'waste' as any other project in which anyone anywhere may choose to engage. If our human journey is about anything whatsoever beyond the absurdity of living for the sake of living and the fear of the unknown alternative, it is about understanding: understanding of ourselves and that around us. On what we spend our lives is largely irrelevant - climbing a career ladder, searching for God, researching pygmy seahorses, collecting cookies, or all of these combined - all are a means to a few vital ends: peace, contentedness and understanding. Perhaps, Kerravon, the London Underground was not the path for you, but it could very well be for someone else. The very fact that you've learnt that much about yourself and become familiar with countless aptitudes and vagaries of your personality means that the time probably wasn't wasted.
And that, in turn, is quite an interesting post. It reminds me of something I saw on another forum a long time ago: The universe is made of stories.
 
Paddling padre.

He has been alone at sea for almost four months. Now a 67-year-old Russian explorer must battle snow storms and 25ft waves as he attempts to become the first person to circumnavigate the southern hemisphere in a rowing boat.

Fedor Konyukhov is approaching the final stage of the first leg of his journey, from New Zealand to Cape Horn, during in which he expects to meet icebergs.

A week ago the sailor, who has climbed Everest twice, rowed solo across the Pacific and has also been ordained as a Russian Orthodox priest, was forced to stay fastened in his bunk for three days as a storm battered Akros, his 30ft boat. “It was like being on the back of a wild horse,” said his son.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ellish-snowstorms-in-southern-ocean-xk5bbgr2t
 
I bet he's hopping mad

A 71-year-old Frenchman has departed on a journey across the Atlantic in a specially designed barrel capsule, which will use ocean currents alone to propel him across the sea.

Jean-Jacques Savin set off from El Hierro in Spain’s Canary Islands on Wednesday and is aiming to complete his 2,800-mile journey to the Caribbean in about three months. Savin will drop markers from his three-metre long resin-coated plywood capsule along the trip to assist oceanographers in their study of currents in the Atlantic Ocean. The barrel is equipped with a kitchen area, and a mattress with straps to keep him from being thrown about by rough seas.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/break...-cross-atlantic-in-barrel-capsule-894305.html

He's gotten as far as the Caribbean.

A 72-year-old Frenchman has reached the Caribbean Sea after spending four months drifting from the Canary Islands in a barrel.

Jean-Jacques Savin, an adventurer and former paratrooper, claimed to have achieved his goal of becoming the first man to cross the Atlantic without sail, motor or human power.

“The Atlantic crossing is a success,” he said by satellite phone. “Now I have to find a way to be picked up and dropped off near a port. At the moment I’m drifting towards Florida.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ks-lift-after-hitting-caribbean-sea-lgnzms7mq
 
He's gotten as far as the Caribbean.

A 72-year-old Frenchman has reached the Caribbean Sea after spending four months drifting from the Canary Islands in a barrel.

Jean-Jacques Savin, an adventurer and former paratrooper, claimed to have achieved his goal of becoming the first man to cross the Atlantic without sail, motor or human power.

“The Atlantic crossing is a success,” he said by satellite phone. “Now I have to find a way to be picked up and dropped off near a port. At the moment I’m drifting towards Florida.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ks-lift-after-hitting-caribbean-sea-lgnzms7mq
You don't get to say you crossed the ocean unless you wind up hitting land, otherwise you're just still in the ocean.
 
Looks like a job for Florida Man.
 
To cross the Atlantic by whale!

In the 1990s, adventurer Tom McClean wanted to sail a 62-tonne whale-shaped boat across the Atlantic. Almost 30 years later he still holds on to that dream.

"When I first took my idea of the boat to a marine architect in Helensburgh, he thought I wanted to build a whaler, said Tom, the Dublin-born, Lochaber-based 78-year-old.

After Tom explained he did not want a small leisure craft, but a vessel the same size and shape as a sperm whale the bemused architect replied: "That is going to be very technical."

From 1992 to 1995, Tom's dream gradually took physical form at engineering firm William Reid's fabrication yard in Forres in Moray. The belly of the steel-framed craft was fitted out with cabins, providing living quarters for the 3,000-mile (4,828km) voyage. The 20m (65ft) high beast was powered by two diesel engines and could even spout water. ...

Yet the idea of the transatlantic crossing never has never died, with Tom resurrecting the plan as recently as 2016, when he talked once again of making the voyage in the belly of his whale boat. For years, Moby has mostly been beached on a shore of Loch Nevis at Ardintigh Bay on the North Morar peninsula where Tom and his wife Jill have their Highland Outdoor Centre. After running the outdoor activities business for more than 50 years, the couple are selling up.

Tom said: "The whale might be sold along with the centre, or maybe someone will buy it separately to do something with themselves - or maybe involve me in. I'm almost 80, but still very active."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-57482669
 

80-year-old woman sets off on yearly 600-mile pony trek from Hexham to Inverness

Every year, Jane Dotchin packs her saddlebags and sets off on an epic journey from her home near Hexham, Northumberland, up to Inverness, Scotland.

Since 1972, Jane, 80, has been heading on this annual trip on her 13-year-old horse, Diamond, travelling 600 miles on horseback.

This time, she began her journey on August 31, with her disabled Jack Russell, Dinky, for company as she covers between 15 and 20 miles a day.
The trip sees Jane carrying everything she needs on her back, including her tent, food, and a few key belongings.

She does all this despite wearing an eyepatch, and plans to keep up the tradition for as long as she can.

Jane’s love of long-distance trekking began around 40 years ago, when she trotted around the West Country.

Jane said: ‘My mother would look after my other ponies but she wasn’t that keen on looking after my Halfinger stallion, so I rode him down to Somerset to see a friend, which is about 300 miles.

‘It was a bit of a hard slog, but it was good.’

After that initial journey, she caught the taste for the open road, and travelled to visit friends near Fort Augustus, near Loch Ness, Highlands, every autumn since.

Her epic journey usually takes around seven weeks, depending on weather, and Jane uses it as a chance to pop in and say hi to people she has met over the years.

She sustains herself on porridge, oatcakes, and cheese, and doesn’t need much electricity as she has an old mobile phone with a battery that lasts six weeks.

The group’s lifestyle is fairly low maintenance, with Jane digging a hole for her bathroom and collecting water from a stream for days when she can’t get milk for her porridge.

During the foot and mouth crisis in 2001, she went by bicycle instead – so nothing can hold her back.
https://metro.co.uk/2021/09/07/80-y...-pony-trek-from-hexham-to-inverness-15218209/
1631011055397.png
 
"Ride a Cock horse..."

Its remarkable that this these days is remarkable.
 
"Since 1972, Jane, 80, has been heading on this annual trip on her 13-year-old horse, Diamond, travelling 600 miles on horseback."

Now that's more remarkable. The horse was doing it 36 years before it was even born??
(sorry. yes I am a pedant, but if that person is getting paid to write the story, they could do a bit better than that?!)
 
"Since 1972, Jane, 80, has been heading on this annual trip on her 13-year-old horse, Diamond, travelling 600 miles on horseback."

Now that's more remarkable. The horse was doing it 36 years before it was even born??
(sorry. yes I am a pedant, but if that person is getting paid to write the story, they could do a bit better than that?!)
Yes I noticed that but it’s from the Metro.. you’re expecting an unreasonable competency.
 
Yes I noticed that but it’s from the Metro.. you’re expecting an unreasonable competency.
Also she must be going in a very round about route as it's only 286 miles from Hexham to Inverness
 
Also she must be going in a very round about route as it's only 286 miles from Hexham to Inverness
As the crow flies/via A roads? She's most likely taking a quieter route.
 
"Since 1972, Jane, 80, has been heading on this annual trip on her 13-year-old horse, Diamond, travelling 600 miles on horseback."

Now that's more remarkable. The horse was doing it 36 years before it was even born??
(sorry. yes I am a pedant, but if that person is getting paid to write the story, they could do a bit better than that?!)
Time traveller, right there!
 
Maybe, although the article does say '600 mile trek from Hexham to Inverness' but I agree she would be making a 600 mile approx round trip.
Don't forget, a horse has four legs so for them it's like walking half the distance we would.
 
The 600 miles could be there & back, unless she takes the very pretty route & puts the horse on a train for the return.
 
The 600 miles could be there & back, unless she takes the very pretty route & puts the horse on a train for the return.
At some point she cycled instead so perhaps she or the horse got the bike back out of the shed and did a few miles on that. No harm in it.
 
At some point she cycled instead so perhaps she or the horse got the bike back out of the shed and did a few miles on that. No harm in it.
The horse on the bike you mean? Hadn’t thought of that.

Says she did the bike in 2001 - she would’ve been 60 then. Gotta doff your cap to a woman of that age cycling 300 miles & camping on the way.
 
He's gotten as far as the Caribbean.

A 72-year-old Frenchman has reached the Caribbean Sea after spending four months drifting from the Canary Islands in a barrel.

Jean-Jacques Savin, an adventurer and former paratrooper, claimed to have achieved his goal of becoming the first man to cross the Atlantic without sail, motor or human power.

“The Atlantic crossing is a success,” he said by satellite phone. “Now I have to find a way to be picked up and dropped off near a port. At the moment I’m drifting towards Florida.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ks-lift-after-hitting-caribbean-sea-lgnzms7mq

He has sailed beyond the sunset.

A 75-year-old Frenchman who was trying to row across the Atlantic Ocean has been found dead at sea, his support team said.

Adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin had previously made the crossing in a large barrel in 2019.

"Unfortunately, this time the ocean was stronger than our friend, who loved sailing and the sea so much," a statement on his Facebook page said.

Savin had triggered two distress beacons on Thursday night. His family had not heard any news from him since, and "were hoping for a glimmer of hope, and even good news," the Facebook statement said. But on Friday Savin's canoe was found overturned off the Azores, an island chain in the North Atlantic Ocean, by Portuguese maritime officials. The exact circumstances of his death have not yet been determined.

The former military paratrooper, who celebrated his 75th birthday at sea last week with foie gras and champagne, set off from Sagres in southern Portugal on 1 January, with the aim of crossing the ocean solo. On Wednesday, he wrote on Facebook that there were strong winds which made his journey longer by 900km (560 miles), and said he was having trouble with his solar power. But he added: "Rest assured, I'm not in danger!"

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60097918
 
I like this very much! The Dutch against-the-wind cycling championship

1644167434964.png


The Nk Tegenwindfietsen, in which participants cycle 8.5 kilometers at a minimum wind force 7, is sold out within three hours. Yesterday it turned out that the wind will blow hard enough on Sunday to sound the starting shot.

This weekend, 300 participants will try to cycle as fast as possible over the Oosterscheldekering with wind speeds of up to 88 kilometers per hour. They do this on a bike without gears, with coaster brake. The wind blows from the southwest so that they cycle directly against the wind.

The fact that the Nk Tegenwindfietsen was sold out so quickly does not surprise organizer Robert Stoekenbroek. "People feel like doing something crazy and this is obviously a pretty crazy event." The first participants start on Sunday at 08.00 hours and take about 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to the strong wind, it will also be a very wet edition. "And with that rain, we at least make sure that people also come across the finish line showered, so then you will already be matted."

https://nos.nl/artikel/2415687-mats...rodynamische-ventieldop-1-4-seconden-wind-mee

Dutch Championship Headwind Biking
The conditions today are ideal for participants in the Nk Tegenwindfietsen on the Oosterscheldekering in Zeeland. The event could not take place last year due to corona. But this morning at 08:00 three hundred cyclists started the 8.5-kilometer course on the storm surge barrier.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2415974-harde-wind-veroorzaakt-overlast-code-geel-in-bijna-heel-het-land
 
This fellow elected to try and travel from Florida's eastern coast to the Bahamas on a jet-ski, while Hurricane Ian was churning up the Caribbean area overall. His last known location was only 15 miles into the planned journey.
Florida man missing after trying to jet ski to Bahamas
September 29, 2022

A Florida man has been declared missing after allegedly attempting to jet ski from south Florida to the Bahamas.

Charles Walker, 52, was last seen on Pompano Beach around 5 p.m. on Sept. 23, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Walker’s family said he was planning on jet skiing from the beach to Bimini in the Bahamas, a distance of around 115 miles.

While in the water, Walker’s last known location was 15 nautical miles off the coast of West Palm Beach, per the Coast Guard. ...
FULL STORY: https://nypost.com/2022/09/29/florida-man-missing-after-trying-to-jet-ski-to-bahamas/
 
Almost made it.

The first man to row from New York to Galway was forced to shore on the rocks at Furbo beach just a short distance from his finishing point last night.

Damien Browne had to be rescued by emergency responders after the alert was raised.

After 2,686 hours at sea, and over 3450 nautical miles rowed, Damian became the first person in history to row the distance between the coast of New York and the west coast, and although he didn't reach the The Port of Galway, he is in good spirits.

After being forced to land on rocks, Damian called Chris Martin, the Project Empower land support officer who in turn contacted emergency services who set off immediately.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40975310.html
 
Almost made it.

The first man to row from New York to Galway was forced to shore on the rocks at Furbo beach just a short distance from his finishing point last night.

Damien Browne had to be rescued by emergency responders after the alert was raised.

After 2,686 hours at sea, and over 3450 nautical miles rowed, Damian became the first person in history to row the distance between the coast of New York and the west coast, and although he didn't reach the The Port of Galway, he is in good spirits.

After being forced to land on rocks, Damian called Chris Martin, the Project Empower land support officer who in turn contacted emergency services who set off immediately.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40975310.html
Kudos to him for that. When you think of some of the sea/weather/wind conditions he must’ve endured on his own for 112 days.. And not really pointless when you look at the money he's raised for charities.
 
Back
Top