Відео

All good thanks, by the time travel returned to normal to Australia we had started a large building project at home, we are about 3 -4 moths away from finishing that. Because we moved just before covid hit it left is without an income until this building work is complete, once that's up and running we should be back on track but it's taken a 4 year bite out of things. the boat is fully refitted but weather I get to do the Indian ocean is still a question mark, as I get older my infirmities don't improve and I certainly haven't gone easy on my body. We'll have to see what the next 6 months brings.

many thanks for the kind words

No petrol stations along they way.

You don't Roland, you just adjust your bearing when you get back to the oars.

The fire's still there, we are in the middle of a big restoration project on the farm at the moment so that's unfortunately the priority at moment. I have to make my mind up by the autumn so we'll see I guess. The covid crisis really put a whole in our plans when we moved back to the UK and has set us back a good three years. Having said that other than time and finances we came out of it healthy and happy which tragically wasn't the case for many.

That looks like a Frabrizio boat you rowed the Atlantic in, good on you.

My boat is an Adkin designed Ocean Rowing boat, there are other designs, most notably a class called blowing boats that reduce the amount of rowing required.

i just thought why has no one made a video of these as boat camping@@soloatlanticrower

You're right, you do get properly challenged and discover a lot about yourself. I have to say it was a tough but mainly positive experience for me.

That would be some acheivement, ask away.

2015

You have to be a bit crazy to push off on a trip like thhis, my comments just confirm that I fit the bill.

@@soloatlanticrower well you are truly blessed to have that much health and strength and that much money to invest in such a huge logistics project , you are so fortunate and inspirational

@@blueishxx You're absolutely right of course, I'm very lucky. Just to point out I left the UK at 18 with £5 left in the bank, it's been a long journey in so many ways but the costs have come from my own blood, sweat and tears.

The sea anchor is only used to stop you going backward, some rowers use auto pilot, I consider that cheating. I'm a rower not a sailer, I believe steering with the oars is part of the challenge.

@@soloatlanticrower OK, I understand. I allways wondered if any rowers cheated by increasing windage with their rig in downwind conditions. Like sticking oars up or binding flags and laundry together. It would make a huge difference in a race. I noticed your flags were at the stern but flying them from the bow would help in steering (tracking) performance. (and less covering of the solarpanel)

In the last 15 years most rowing boats built have been with the cabin at the front and the bulkhead designed to catch the wind, in rowing circles they are known as blowing boats. The amount of effort required to row these boats on a trade winds route is significantly reduced, in a good blow rowing adds nothing to boat speed, combined with an auto pilot you are a passenger. personally don't understand deciding to do a really hard challenge and then trying to make it easier by cheating, I would feel dishonest claiming to have rowed if I'd used a blowing boat or other sailing tech on my crossings.

@@soloatlanticrower Fascinating and room for thoughts of how pure you are willing to undertake difficult passages. For emergencies you could have a kite onboard to fly to pull. In the designs of the vessels you could incorporate keel-boards or ¨Ama´s¨ to play with the trim and dampen the rolling. I understand the attitude between a human powered boat versus wind powered is a world apart. And in a different way fullfilling. Thanks for reacting and.....bon voyage.

I don't think there is anyone offering plans at present. If you can track him down Phil Morrrison is responsible for most of the designs.

Hi Matthew - before you buy a boat make sure you understand the difference between a blowing boat and a pure boat. My opinion, for what it is worth, is that blowing boats are not rowing boats, they are rowing assisted sailing boats. The fore cabin bulkhead is designed to catch the wind, they easily cruse along at 3.5 knots in a following wind when it’s impossible to add any speed to that with the oars as you can’t move the blades through the water quick enough. If you want to claim you have actually rowed an ocean, my opinion is that it has to be in a pure boat. Problem with the 2nd hand boat market is everyone what’s top dollar for the boat to get some cash back, problem is they don’t get looked after very well and need a fair amount of work doing to make sure they are sea worthy. Check out the ocean rowing society web site they have a for sale section, other than that contacting rowers directly to find out what they are doing with their boat after their row is a good option.

John, thank you for the quick reply. Really appreciate you passing on your knowledge. Day and night I'm obsessed about getting out on the open Ocean, shouldn't be too long until I can start. Cheers

I look back with some pride but also it seems like a lifetime ago. Still very glad I did it.

Another neat idea, if crossing the Pacific depleted my reserves as much as it did I’m not sure a non stop circumnavigation is possible. It would also be impossible to get enough provisions on board, one ocean at a time I think.

@@soloatlanticrower, stopping to resupply would not take anything away from one such massive endeavour. If anyone can do that, you certainly seem to be that person.

The bulk of the cost is obviously the boat, materials aside it was 7 months full time work for a skilled boat builder to construct. taking that into account it was fair value. I like your thinking on rowing to Canada and back, that would be a long trip, you can’t row against the current so would have to head south via the Canaries, Caribbean, up the coast of the Us on the gulf stream then when far enough north head for home. Some trip.

@@soloatlanticrower, it also depends on one's income, I guess. I live in a poorer European country; on top of that, I might also have an issue because of my country's past. That kind of trip would be quite something, indeed, especially since it might have never been done by anyone, ever, before. I would find such a challenge tempting. :) I said from, not to, Canada because I had read somewhere that you lived in Burlington, Ontario. Having another look at the map, I am wondering: would it be possible to start from Burlington, row the Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence River and into the North Atlantic Ocean, then the Caribbean Sea, and, through the Panama Canal, into the Pacific, cross that, then, one way or another, get back home to Burlington? If so, what would it take?

You're nothing if not creative. I've actually moved back to the UK since I did the row (for family reasons). It definately isn't an inexpensive thiing to do, there are lot's of cchallenges thouugh, maybe start local, I know cycling the border ofo countriies has been done a few times, also running the same. Lot's of idea's juust starting from home.

You use a bucket, not easy in a big rolling sea with waves crashing over the gunnels

thanks

Hi Mr W, rowing style is a big subject but basically it changes with the weather conditions. Very rare you get flat days when you can scull, it’s great when you can but it’s incredibly tough pulling more than a tonne of boat through the calm water. At a modest stroke rate of 20 strokes per minute even on a 12 hour rowing day (which was a minimum I did) that’s 14,400 squats a day (sometimes in 45 degree temps on deck), every extra hour I did adds 1200. Most days however you have an active swell, wind and current to deal with, this usually means the water is a different level on either side of the boat, inn turn this means getting both blades in the water at the same time is virtually impossible. I developed a changing style depending on the conditions, most often just offsetting the entry of the oars. Sometimes when fighting for course II would have to one arm row for days to counteract the conditions. Regarding grabbing more water, other than in calm conditions if you go big you end up catching too many crabs, plus you couldn’t keep up that effort 12-15+ hours a day, better to pace yourself and cover more ground at a slower rate. In a 6 minute olympic sculling event they catch big water with an ultra efficient stroke in a hull that weighs next to nothing and thy are on the edge of collapse after 6 minutes, don’t forget I had to make it to 7 months on my Pacific crossing. One last thing, the video I captured probably didn’t show of the variations of the stroke, I really only had a few minutes of rowing footage per week and I was always focused on rowing and not filming. hope that all makes some sense.

good to hear

Had a shave once a week, it was a real treat, not easy to do on board but worth the effort.

In a shiping container.

You do go off course when you sleep, you just have to a) try and control the drift, b) row back to your course.

Hi Eamonn, many thanks, seems like a lifetime ago, hopefully I have one last adventure in me.

Thanks

Hi Kotryna, glad you enjoyed the story and you're right, I learned that it's not about how far you move forward each day but how hard you fight that counts. Hopefully I have at least one more big adventure left in my tiered old body.

Your rowing technique has to adapt to the conditions, from full on sculling in calmer weather to hours of single oar pulling in cross weather situations. In choppy conditions when the water is never the same port and starboard I found it easier to row hand over hand with the blades entering the water slightly out of sink.