Chapter 227 Storm at Sea
The sun shines on the sea, making the cold weather warm.
Except for the strong wind on the first day when it looked like it was going to rain, the weather was very good for the next two days with no sign of rain at all.
Bifang lay on the life raft, swaying with the waves, occasionally glancing at the fishing line to see if there was any prey on the hook.
After three days of adaptation, he has become accustomed to this kind of drifting and no longer feels dizzy. The ups and downs even give him a feeling of "floating in the air", which is pretty good.
Bifang casually plucked a piece of Sargassum and put it in his mouth, then put his hands behind his head and basked in the sun leisurely, not in a hurry at all, or rather, there was no point in being anxious.
Fishing, in addition to technical skills, is more about luck, not to mention that he used grass bait instead of meat bait.
But the way he looked, basking in the sun and floating in the ocean, he didn't look like a victim. Instead, he looked like someone out for a trip, if you ignored his slightly pale face.
Although we have food, fresh water resources are still scarce. The daily evaporation can only guarantee the minimum demand, not the health demand. It is not a problem to last another four or five days, but over time, that is not the case.
He was waiting for a rain, a life-saving rain.
It sounds like all hopes for survival are placed on God, but this is the reality of survival. Any situation is uncertain. The only thing that is certain is the probability. The reason why some people can become survival experts is because they know what to do with the highest probability of success.
It was as if Bifang knew that the North Atlantic was affected by temperate cyclones, the weather was unpredictable, it would be windy and rainy every few days, and the probability of drinking rain water was very high, so he was willing to wait. Otherwise, he would have zipped up the tent and extracted distilled water all the time instead of opening it and basking in the sun to reduce heat loss.
This is a trade-off that is in line with current interests.
True survival masters know where to use every bit of their strength, so their chances of survival are much higher than others.
Without water, you cannot conjure water out of thin air. Without food, you cannot conjure food out of thin air. Bifang is a human, not a god. Even though everyone calls him Fangshen, he still cannot conjure bread and water out of thin air.
Being able to survive depends on more "probability". The simplest mathematical logic is the key to survival.
Many people, including Bifang himself, have been pushed to the limit of pain because of struggling with adverse environments and situations.
In this situation, one can feel that life itself is a threat .
The feeling of fear can be momentary, or it can torment you for hours or days until you realize you need to face it, and suddenly everything becomes clear again.
It is at this moment that a person truly has the belief to live and wants to find a way out and return to the life that belongs to him.
The above is not only Bifang’s true thoughts, but also his actual practices. He is not stingy in sharing his experience with everyone.
"There were so many times when I was part of an extraordinary team, one that was filled with fortitude, intelligence, decisiveness, humility and indispensable friendships."
"It is these valuable lessons I learned from those outstanding people in difficult times that have accompanied me throughout my life, not only in the past when I faced danger and my life was threatened, but also now."
"I don't consider myself an expert professional explorer, but through many experiences that were enjoyable, brutal, exhilarating, terrifying, or bleak, I have learned the value of knowledge, clear thinking, and respect for all extreme and challenging environments, and I owe it to myself to show it."
“It’s about being able to go with the natural environment and trying to understand it, which will make you more resilient to your surroundings and therefore give you hope.”
Bifang kept the audience from getting bored by chatting. After several live broadcasts, he felt that he had developed a good eloquence, which was enough even for stand-up comedy.
At the same time, he is also telling everyone that even though he is sunbathing and rafting now, he is definitely not a lazy guy, but has made reasonable plans.
He really didn't take a vacation.
[I see, Lao Fang is an algebraist! ]
【I believe it】
[Can you please put your hands down before you say this? It's hard to believe what you're saying while you're resting your head on the pillow in the sun! ]
[Really? I don’t believe it (funny)]
Bifang smiled, put his hand down, sat by the raft and looked around to see if there were any fish on the hook, but the result was obvious. The Sargassum was swaying on the water and no fish were on the hook.
He sighed. It’s been two days, how come there’s not a single fish?
Even if it is winter now, this shouldn't happen. Besides, it's not an empty bait, it's a grass bait, why don't you give it some face?
Now many people regard Bifang as the world's number one adventurer, and if you tell others that you have failed, you will be laughed at.
Is it environmental degradation or overfishing?
Is fishing so difficult?
Bifang scratched his head, not understanding what was going on. To kill time, he could only continue chatting with the audience and telling them about his survival experiences.
"Although we are far from the shore, we cannot say that there will be no seabirds. The North Atlantic often has strong winds, and some birds may stray from the direction and get lost. When they see my broken raft, they may want to come up and rest. So we can put some seaweed on the top of the tent to make it more attractive."
Bifang separated a handful of Sargassum from a large clump of seaweed and placed it on the top of the tent, spreading it out to make it more conspicuous.
[666, Fang Shen doesn’t even let go of birds now]
[I've eaten so many things that run on the ground and swim in the water, but I don't think I've ever eaten anything that flies in the sky? ]
[It was a pity for the geese last time. They were big and plump, and looked fat. What a pity.]
[Etienne: Are you polite? You're always thinking about my geese?]
[Do seabirds eat seaweed? Don’t they all catch fish? ]
"Of course they eat it. Many seabirds eat seaweed. Scientific research shows that the smell of decomposed plankton on the surface of plastic waste is similar to that of rotten seaweed. Therefore, seabirds such as albatrosses mistake it for food and swallow it."
"It is reported that about 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic waste, mostly because they mistake plastic for seaweed."
After spreading the Sargassum on the top of the tent, Bifang continued to sit down and wait for the fish to take the bait.
But the audience couldn't sit still after hearing the news, 90%?
What the hell is this ratio?
[Fuck, there is such a saying? ]
[90? Are there so many?]
Bifang nodded: "Yes, why would I lie to you about this? You can find out by searching online."
Many viewers switched platforms upon hearing this, and a search turned out to be true, even more than 90%!
[Oh my god, it’s actually true]
[Has the environment deteriorated to this point? It’s time for me, the vaccine man, to take the stage! ]
[How pitiful! If they eat plastic, they will die, right?]
[I will never litter again...]
[Fang Shen tries to reduce environmental damage as much as possible when surviving in the wilderness, and tries to find broken sticks. Sigh, is the difference between people so big? ]
Many viewers also remembered what Bifang did. Even when burning firewood, except for a few emergency situations, he would try his best to pick dead branches and rotten leaves. After finishing, he would restore the environment as much as possible. When compared with those who litter on the beach, the difference is obvious, and it is impossible not to respect them.
People risk their lives to survive, and even then they dare not leave any traces in nature. After they are done they have to clean up properly to leave behind a pristine environment. As a tourist, do you still want to leave garbage behind after enjoying the natural scenery?
How can you be so shameless?
[Stop scolding, stop scolding, I won’t dare to do it next time]
[Cool leather, Fang Shen is also a particular person]
[I don’t accept anyone but Lao Fang! ]
The audience praised him again, and Bifang felt embarrassed. After chatting for a while, he calmed down and went back to fishing. But before noon, he realized something was wrong.
It's getting dark.
No way?
Another storm?
Dark clouds pushed over from the southeast, the air became heavy and stuffy, and the originally calm sea surface gradually began to rise up into waves, as if it would turn into big waves at any time.
The audience was horrified by the scene.
They still vividly remembered the last time Bifang flew across the storm in a glider, with lightning striking through the sky and earth, and branches growing wildly like trees. It was like hell. Now it’s happening again?
Wait, it seems like Bifang has been waiting for the rain for a long time, right?
"I was wondering when it would rain this morning, but it's coming now?"
Bifang was surprised at his good luck. Yes, it was a good luck. He never thought that he would not encounter a storm during his twenty-one days of survival. Since the storm was bound to come, there was no point in worrying. He might as well think about the benefits it brought, fresh water resources.
So Bifang thought that his luck had turned.
But now was not the time to worry about his luck, he needed to be prepared for the storm, he explained as he lowered the tent.
"Don't worry, everyone. I've actually been mentally prepared for this. Rain is usually caused by the meeting of cold and warm air currents, which causes water vapor to cool and turn into water before falling. There's nothing to block the sea, so the effect of the meeting of air currents when it rains is more obvious, causing wind and waves."
"If it's big hail, it's because the water vapor suddenly encounters a strong cold air current or strong convective high pressure, and it will directly condense into ice and fall down."
"I've said before that the weather in the North Atlantic is unpredictable. I've expected a storm, so don't be too anxious. As for the production crew, if you're at sea, you should leave as soon as possible and don't stay. After all, it's still very dangerous for a helicopter to land on the sea. It would be terrible if you drifted like me."
The sun shone for two consecutive days yesterday and today, and the sea water evaporated greatly, so it is not surprising to have sudden rain.
Bifang was neither hurried nor slow, and even had the leisure to remind the director and assistants of the program crew not to let anything go wrong during the filming.
Of course, the program crew knew about this without him reminding them. After all, Pang Di, the security consultant, was not a mere decoration. They would check the weather forecast every day and evacuate first if there was any weather change.
It’s just that Bifang is more dangerous, although he doesn’t care.
The audience was stunned by Bifang's operation. Instead of worrying about themselves, they were concerned about the program crew?
Is this how the boss operates?
"In addition, if we have a sea anchor, dropping it can keep the boat near the accident site and help you keep the boat against the wind and waves at sea. By adjusting the sea anchor, we can make the sea anchor at the trough when the life raft is at the crest of the wave, which will help us avoid big waves, but I don't have it."
A sea anchor is a large sinkable object with 3 to 4 hooks on it. Each hook is tied with a rope about 1 meter long. The ropes are gathered together and then connected to the victim's ship. When it is sunk into the water, it will form a certain resistance and provide a certain stability, which can help the ship resist the shaking of wind and waves.
The wind gradually grew stronger, and Bifang unconsciously raised his voice while speaking. He could clearly feel that the life raft was moving faster. No, it cannot be said to be faster, it was simply moving at lightning speed!
In order to prevent the life raft from being overturned by the wind, Bifang had to lower his center of gravity.
A sea anchor can help the victims stay in the vicinity of the trapped point so that search and rescue personnel can easily find them, but Bifang did not have one and never mentioned it.
"The currents can have some noticeable effects on the performance of the anchor and the boat, so be alert to the changes that can happen at any time. If possible, make one yourself. The anchor rope should be at least 5 meters long, so that it can be in the trough of the wave when you are hit by a big wave!"
Bifang pulled the top of the tent to the lowest point to lower the center of gravity. He needed to keep the canopy upright and the life raft dry.
"If you are in a life raft that can accommodate 20 people, the heaviest person should sit in the middle, and the others must also sit properly, so that the weight distribution of the body can be used to suppress the wind force that blows the life raft upwards."
"Don't sit on the edge of the life raft, and don't stand, it's easy to fall into the water. Don't move suddenly without notifying other people in the raft in advance. Once you fall into the water, you will be quickly separated, and the chance of finding you again after the storm stops is very small. The same is true for me. Once I fell into the water, it was almost a death sentence for me!"
"So we have to take all measures to prevent the life raft from capsizing."
Bifang stretched out his hands and paddled the sea water, trying to face the wind so that he could see the incoming waves clearly and jump over them.
Large waves, especially huge waves hitting the port or starboard side, may capsize the vessel, especially the life raft.
But Bifang's life raft is a circular life raft, and this structure is just enough to withstand huge waves in all directions. The disadvantage is that it rarely provides paddles or other things for control.
The world looked leaden gray. Bifang's roar was drowned in the sound of the wind. He could no longer utter anything. As soon as he opened his mouth, a large amount of air was poured in, as if it could go straight to his stomach.
Suddenly, water drops hit Bifang's hands, and the rain finally began to fall.
He raised his head, and across the lead-gray world, huge water pressure was coming from above, hitting the life raft hard!
