Congratulations sir, I just found out that my cancer has spread. I was stable until last week when getting that news. I’m only 31 years old and I start chemotherapy on Monday. You have inspired me and I thank you so much 🙏
Hi El Jefe, sorry to hear you're not well, I hope the treatment goes well. There's always hope, 2 years before my Atlantic row I had open heart surgery, it took some getting over but shows that life has many ups and downs. Lets hope you are starting on an up.
I don't believe that YT does not promote life changing and inspirational journey that people accomplish..... U r a true hero sir.... That's not something that any tom dick or harry can go through... Superb🎉❤
Thanks David, proud to be English, wish I could wind back the old thing a bit, I have a head full of ambition but not sure how much longer the body will cooperate with the mind.
Thanks Peter, seems like a lifetime ago but it was a pretty special feeling reaching Barbados, hoping Australia lets visitors in by next April so I can have a crack at the Indian Ocean.
@@soloatlanticrower Good luck on the next crossing! As an Australian we've just had a few more cases of Covid at least in Victoria, unfortunately I estimate at least a year before we'll open up again.
Hi Aud I, I'm just working on a diary version of the Atlantic trip and that contains boat tour, food prep etc. The ongoing getting ready for the Indian ocean series will include all that too.
Tjank you very much. You can easyly adap an water osmosys pump at the seat, operating pressure its four bars. Thank you very much for this wonderfull moovie. 😀
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.
Hi Don? it's true on the Atlantic trade-winds crossing (same as Columbus took) leaving the Canaries you would end up somewhere in the Caribbean in about 120 days without head winds. So my crossing of 53 days means the rowing effort equaled 67 days. Plus of course you have to make a predetermined course to end at your chosen destination which adds more effort. On my Pacific crossing it cuts across the trade winds and crosses the equator, much more challenging, hence the poorer daily millage average. without rowing on that route you would just bounce off the inter tropical conversion zone and never get south, when you get across the equator the trades are SE so push you NE when you want to go SW. One last point, Socks is a rowing boat so the wind slips over her (only 13" transom) many so called rowing boats in the last 10 years have been designed with the larger cabin at the front so the bulkhead acts as a sail, this reduces effort and crossing time on the trade winds routes. Hope that helps.
Thanks John, I’ve done a lot of single handed sailing so I’m aware of winds and ocean currents. But rowing the ocean is way beyond anything I’d ever want to do. Safe rowing to you.
@@DonAntoniodetucum Respect for anyone who experienced the oceans alone, it's an incredible place to be alone. Rowing is just the way I choose to do it.
Basically you just run form the sun in a morning and chase it in the afternoon. I do have GPS on board and use a magnetic compass to set a bearing for the day.
your boat looks so heavy, can you really paddle it? i mean you dont look a john cena im trying to guess if is your paddling or the sea currents that really do most of the drag another question: in your boat theere are several black circles on each side... to me they look like audio speakers, what are they?
Hi Rafael, it's rowing actually as opposed to paddling, rowers go backwards, paddlers go forwards. Yes rowing the boat propels the vessel, buoyancy means you can move much heavier objects in water than on land. It's true on the Atlantic crossing you get some assistance from the trades (but so do large freighters, they use them to save fuel) but anything under 120 plus days is rowing effort, the trades are less help on the Pacific which is a much tougher row. As for looking slight, ocean rowing is a pure endurance activity, more like endurance running the WWE, you don't see many world class marathon runners over 120lbs, larger athletes like Olympic rowers are built for explosive events not 15 plus hours of daily slog. The circles on deck are deck lockers where my food is stowed.
Difficult question to answer, basically a rouge wave is a wave that comes from an unsuspected direction. These are normally created when you are in changing weather conditions , for example the wind is coming from the north then changes to the east ( there are other forces that contribute but I'll try and keep it simple). The energy captured from the north wind is still pushing the surface water south plus the new energy delivered by the east wind is pushing the surface water west, when these forces collide you get a cross sea which creates rouge waves. I encountered this quite a few times, in big seas you normally try to run down wind. So even though waves are breaking over the boat it's the safest option as only your transom is exposed to the weather. In a cross sea you run downwind but keep getting side swiped by large rouge waves. Not a lot you can do but batten down and hang on until the conditions change. When I rowed the Atlantic with Libby we were hit by an enormous rouge wave and it's the closest I've come while rowing to capsizing, scary at the time but the boat is designed to cope with it and did so brilliantly. Apologies for the long winded answer but it's a big subject.
@@soloatlanticrower Thanks for the in-depth and interesting answer. Might be a silly question but what would you do if you did capsize? Would it mean certain death out there or could you do something in such a situation? Also, when you encountered storms were you outside the boat trying to manage the situation or did you close your hatch and stay inside?
Hi Erik, as long as the cabin hatch is closed the boats are designed to self right, if the weather get big it's best to keep the boat ship shape and battened down just in case you capsize, regardless there would be damage so it's best doing everything you can to avoid it happening. As for in or out in big weather it's a fine line, in big weather going your way you want to take advantage so stay at the oars as long as possible. However there is a tipping point where safety out weighs progress so it's best retreating to the cabin, it's pretty uncomfortable being thrown around but safer than being on deck. There are things you can do to control the boat like trailing a line or drogue to keep you down wind and relatively safe.
@@soloatlanticrower John, you've inspired me a lot. I am currently suffering from a rare disease called PFS. Unfortunately we do not have the funds needed to conduct enough research to cure our condition. I am seriously considering doing what you did and rowing across the Atlantic in order to raise awareness and funding. Our condition is absolutely horrible and we regularly lose patients to suicide. I am 29 years old, however my condition weakens me. I am wondering what your thoughts are on my idea?
Hi Erik, I wouldn't be able to advise on whether to tackle the challenge or not, only you know if you're up to it. A few things to consider, we are all capable of more than we believe on a day to day basis, to even get to the starting line of a row is a serious challenge in itself, in fact I have said many times leaving the marina and heading out to sea is the beginning of the easy bit. You need a good team of people around you, doesn't need to be big but family and at least one person with some ocean going experience (not necessarily rowing). The Atlantic is the right Ocean to start on, it's the simplest route and conditions wise and there is plenty of information available as it's been crossed many times. Finally, medical issues are not necessarily a bar, I had open heart surgery 15 moths prior to my Atlantic crossing, but as I said at the beginning, only you know how much you can get out of yourself.
You take everything with you, no time to fish and it would be very messy on deck. I did however have to be resupplied off Vanuatu as the Pacific crossing took way longer than planned, we did the resupply at sea so I could still claim to have crossed non stop.
Hola Ale ale, perdí 4 o 5 kilos en el viaje del Atlántico, solo tienes que ser lo suficientemente valiente para partir, ¡entonces no hay opción! gracias por las palabras amables.
I kind of agree GU, not great in parts but I never really intended to share with anyone other than family and friends, it was just my personal journal really. It was also well over a decade ago filmed mostly on a first version gopro that fogged up with the heat, had to have the full cover on because of the conditions, I had a second camera that had an underwater housing but had poor resolution, that was a mistake, can't go back and re shoot it unfortunately. All excuses I know, however I have said it before, I'm a rower not a film maker, so I'm happy to admit it's not Spielburg by a long way. I did invest in better cameras on later trips, whether I improved my photographic skills is debatable.
That would buy about half the boat, she is a thing of beauty though that took more than 6 months painstaking work by a gifted boat builder to complete. Wouldn't want to go cheap when she's the only thing between you and the bottom of the briny in a 15-20ft sea blowing at 35knts.
This one deserves a million views
Thanks (a million)
Hey I will tell everyone how amazing this is and show them
@@eljefe114 Thanks
It's insane that this wasn't viewed millions of times
Congratulations sir, I just found out that my cancer has spread. I was stable until last week when getting that news. I’m only 31 years old and I start chemotherapy on Monday. You have inspired me and I thank you so much 🙏
Hi El Jefe, sorry to hear you're not well, I hope the treatment goes well. There's always hope, 2 years before my Atlantic row I had open heart surgery, it took some getting over but shows that life has many ups and downs. Lets hope you are starting on an up.
i hope that is not skin cancer because that is what you might get during a such long time under the sun
How are you after 2 years, i Hope you are well
@@rafaellima381source?
This deserves millions of followers..God bless what you do and thank you for sharing you inspiring videos
Wow, thank you
I don't believe that YT does not promote life changing and inspirational journey that people accomplish..... U r a true hero sir.... That's not something that any tom dick or harry can go through... Superb🎉❤
Amazing mate!
That dive under the boat, na! I was so glad to see him afterwards 😆. Fair play Sir, what an achievement!
I'm proud that an Englishman, and and old one too, achieved that stupendous feat !
Well done !
Thanks David, proud to be English, wish I could wind back the old thing a bit, I have a head full of ambition but not sure how much longer the body will cooperate with the mind.
@@soloatlanticrower your only as old as ya feel mate
What courage, energy, and accomplishment.
this deserve a more views .....
Thanks Daryl, I'm pretty amazed what I have put up has had so many views, it was really just for family and friends.
I hope that more and more people will have this in their recommendations. Speak to you in the future!
Congratulations, job well done!!! Pure determination. What a feat
Mad respect!!! Amazing athleticism and mental capacity.
Thanks Flanny, all about fighting the aging process, bring on the Indian Ocean next year.
Amazing man. Fantastic row.
Absolutely incredible! A true inspiration!
You have great balls...
This one deserves a trillon views
Thanks Jammy
Amazingly courageous!
"Don't hug him because he needs a shower" I almost died laughing!
Hi Rick, choice words indeed, the shower I had at the marina was one of the highlights of the trip, felt incredible to be properly clean.
Amazing! Luck was on his side! I believe that crossing rowing is a gamble..but thank God ,it was his time to do it
Wow, powerful amazing footage, congratulations on an amazing feat. Must bean amazing feeling to look back and know you have done this crossing.
Thanks Peter, seems like a lifetime ago but it was a pretty special feeling reaching Barbados, hoping Australia lets visitors in by next April so I can have a crack at the Indian Ocean.
@@soloatlanticrower Good luck on the next crossing! As an Australian we've just had a few more cases of Covid at least in Victoria, unfortunately I estimate at least a year before we'll open up again.
Kudos on your successful solo crossing.
Amazing adventure! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your footage, glad you made it!
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic effort. Would’ve appreciated a tour of your boat and some information on the systems, storage, food etc..
Hi Aud I, I'm just working on a diary version of the Atlantic trip and that contains boat tour, food prep etc. The ongoing getting ready for the Indian ocean series will include all that too.
@@soloatlanticrower that would be amazing to watch. Can’t wait to see that. Thanks for the reply
Amazing, thanks for sharing.... 💜
Many thanks much appreciated.
Tjank you very much. You can easyly adap an water osmosys pump at the seat, operating pressure its four bars. Thank you very much for this wonderfull moovie. 😀
Amazing video
The Man!!💪
You are a total GENIUS !!!!
Appreciated but definitely not true.
Amazing achievement. Especially to do it alone. I’m curious about the rowing style. It was quite unconventional. The ores barely pulled the water
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.
Woooww....👍👍👍👍 Incredible.
I wish sail with You someday..🤩
Impressive to say the least.
Thanks Joseph
Brilliant !
Awesome
Amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing it. Love from BANGLADESH.
Thanks for watching, glad you liked it, on to the next adventure!
amazing experience, thanks 4 share !!
mad lad!
salute!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️
Just subscribed to your channel sir.. pls accept my humble salute to you sir.. You are truly a man of no fear..
Thanks - Appreciated
Respect !!! 👍👍👍
Great 💯🥂
Bravo you're an inspiration.👍
🤣🤣Don't hug him until he's had a shower 🤣👍
Increíble !!!!!
What was the pointy tail at 6:03?
O seu silêncio viu coisas que o ser humano comun jamais viu ...
Rio de janeiro
Brasil
great sir, love from india
Impresionante logro, muy motivador en todos los sentidos... un gran abrazo en la distancia.
Gracias por las amables palabras. Pensé que la distancia era grande hasta que probé el Pacífico
how you drink water in 52 days on this boat? because i'm not look some water galon in there
Hi Rizky, I had a desalinator on board, powered by solar panels.
@@soloatlanticrower thanks :) because i'll build like your boat soon for fishing hahaha
Where you get food?
Wow 😳
Monumental sir !!!!
I salute you
You're amazing
WOW!!!!! ❤
do you drop anchor to sleep or do you just drift around
too deep for an anchor, just drift while asleep, that's why the off shift is as short as possible.
how do you stop yourself from drifting off course when you are sleeping?
You don't Roland, you just adjust your bearing when you get back to the oars.
Can the current change dramatically? Do you have an alarm that signals you if you drift too far one direction @soloatlanticrower
What percentage of trip is due to drift and favorable wind vs actual rowing? If he stopped rowing wouldn’t he still drift across the ocean?
Hi Don? it's true on the Atlantic trade-winds crossing (same as Columbus took) leaving the Canaries you would end up somewhere in the Caribbean in about 120 days without head winds. So my crossing of 53 days means the rowing effort equaled 67 days. Plus of course you have to make a predetermined course to end at your chosen destination which adds more effort. On my Pacific crossing it cuts across the trade winds and crosses the equator, much more challenging, hence the poorer daily millage average. without rowing on that route you would just bounce off the inter tropical conversion zone and never get south, when you get across the equator the trades are SE so push you NE when you want to go SW. One last point, Socks is a rowing boat so the wind slips over her (only 13" transom) many so called rowing boats in the last 10 years have been designed with the larger cabin at the front so the bulkhead acts as a sail, this reduces effort and crossing time on the trade winds routes. Hope that helps.
Thanks John, I’ve done a lot of single handed sailing so I’m aware of winds and ocean currents. But rowing the ocean is way beyond anything I’d ever want to do. Safe rowing to you.
@@DonAntoniodetucum Respect for anyone who experienced the oceans alone, it's an incredible place to be alone. Rowing is just the way I choose to do it.
How do you know you are rowing in the right direction?
Basically you just run form the sun in a morning and chase it in the afternoon. I do have GPS on board and use a magnetic compass to set a bearing for the day.
yesturday young guy Aurimas from Lithuania starter journey from spain to florida alone.
your boat looks so heavy, can you really paddle it?
i mean you dont look a john cena
im trying to guess if is your paddling or the sea currents that really do most of the drag
another question: in your boat theere are several black circles on each side... to me they look like audio speakers, what are they?
Hi Rafael, it's rowing actually as opposed to paddling, rowers go backwards, paddlers go forwards. Yes rowing the boat propels the vessel, buoyancy means you can move much heavier objects in water than on land. It's true on the Atlantic crossing you get some assistance from the trades (but so do large freighters, they use them to save fuel) but anything under 120 plus days is rowing effort, the trades are less help on the Pacific which is a much tougher row. As for looking slight, ocean rowing is a pure endurance activity, more like endurance running the WWE, you don't see many world class marathon runners over 120lbs, larger athletes like Olympic rowers are built for explosive events not 15 plus hours of daily slog.
The circles on deck are deck lockers where my food is stowed.
9:20 - That fall was almost fatal John. I'm surprised you don't have a safety line on your feet, or do you?
I did actually have an ankle leash on.
@@soloatlanticrower Wise choice. :D
I was looking for one, just couldn't see it in the video.
How was it almost fatal?
what eating?
Mainly freeze dried food, then chocolate and biscuits.
Thank the South equatorial current.
were you concerned about encountering a "rogue wave"?
Difficult question to answer, basically a rouge wave is a wave that comes from an unsuspected direction. These are normally created when you are in changing weather conditions , for example the wind is coming from the north then changes to the east ( there are other forces that contribute but I'll try and keep it simple). The energy captured from the north wind is still pushing the surface water south plus the new energy delivered by the east wind is pushing the surface water west, when these forces collide you get a cross sea which creates rouge waves. I encountered this quite a few times, in big seas you normally try to run down wind. So even though waves are breaking over the boat it's the safest option as only your transom is exposed to the weather. In a cross sea you run downwind but keep getting side swiped by large rouge waves. Not a lot you can do but batten down and hang on until the conditions change. When I rowed the Atlantic with Libby we were hit by an enormous rouge wave and it's the closest I've come while rowing to capsizing, scary at the time but the boat is designed to cope with it and did so brilliantly. Apologies for the long winded answer but it's a big subject.
@@soloatlanticrower Thanks for the in-depth and interesting answer. Might be a silly question but what would you do if you did capsize? Would it mean certain death out there or could you do something in such a situation? Also, when you encountered storms were you outside the boat trying to manage the situation or did you close your hatch and stay inside?
Hi Erik, as long as the cabin hatch is closed the boats are designed to self right, if the weather get big it's best to keep the boat ship shape and battened down just in case you capsize, regardless there would be damage so it's best doing everything you can to avoid it happening. As for in or out in big weather it's a fine line, in big weather going your way you want to take advantage so stay at the oars as long as possible. However there is a tipping point where safety out weighs progress so it's best retreating to the cabin, it's pretty uncomfortable being thrown around but safer than being on deck. There are things you can do to control the boat like trailing a line or drogue to keep you down wind and relatively safe.
@@soloatlanticrower John, you've inspired me a lot. I am currently suffering from a rare disease called PFS. Unfortunately we do not have the funds needed to conduct enough research to cure our condition. I am seriously considering doing what you did and rowing across the Atlantic in order to raise awareness and funding. Our condition is absolutely horrible and we regularly lose patients to suicide. I am 29 years old, however my condition weakens me. I am wondering what your thoughts are on my idea?
Hi Erik, I wouldn't be able to advise on whether to tackle the challenge or not, only you know if you're up to it. A few things to consider, we are all capable of more than we believe on a day to day basis, to even get to the starting line of a row is a serious challenge in itself, in fact I have said many times leaving the marina and heading out to sea is the beginning of the easy bit. You need a good team of people around you, doesn't need to be big but family and at least one person with some ocean going experience (not necessarily rowing). The Atlantic is the right Ocean to start on, it's the simplest route and conditions wise and there is plenty of information available as it's been crossed many times. Finally, medical issues are not necessarily a bar, I had open heart surgery 15 moths prior to my Atlantic crossing, but as I said at the beginning, only you know how much you can get out of yourself.
Do you have all the food you need on board or do you do some fishing or being provisioned en route?
You take everything with you, no time to fish and it would be very messy on deck. I did however have to be resupplied off Vanuatu as the Pacific crossing took way longer than planned, we did the resupply at sea so I could still claim to have crossed non stop.
@@soloatlanticrower What an unbelievable feat. I greatly admire you.
Молодец, превозмог трудности и справился с одиночеством !!!
TOP
I would go tomorrow - but will never have the money 💰
Wow
CUAL FUE EL SISTEMA DE PROPULSION QUE USO _SOLO LOS REMOS
Hi Miguel, Yes just oars and a lot of elbow grease.
@@soloatlanticrower extraordinary effort double congratulations thank you very much for your answer
How about putting a small sail...
Hi Ray, that would be sailing not rowing, it's supposed to be hard work.
Good onya m8
Ta
Mean you have absolutely no business being out there in that type of vessel
Why not just purchase a little Evinrude or something and strap it on to keep on trucking. That rowing looks pretty inefficient.
No petrol stations along they way.
Buenisimo que viaje que locura mis respectos cuantos kilos habras perdido hay que ser valiente. Por masss viajes
Hola Ale ale, perdí 4 o 5 kilos en el viaje del Atlántico, solo tienes que ser lo suficientemente valiente para partir, ¡entonces no hay opción! gracias por las palabras amables.
Hahahaha^0^ After 53 days. Don't hug him
Show...
what demons are you trying to escape. These type of adventures are not just dreamed up for the sake of challenging oneself.
No demons Ben, I'm afraid it is just a challenge, that's the point of life isn't it? and the tougher the better.
Cool. But invest in a better camera. And learn how to use it.
I kind of agree GU, not great in parts but I never really intended to share with anyone other than family and friends, it was just my personal journal really. It was also well over a decade ago filmed mostly on a first version gopro that fogged up with the heat, had to have the full cover on because of the conditions, I had a second camera that had an underwater housing but had poor resolution, that was a mistake, can't go back and re shoot it unfortunately. All excuses I know, however I have said it before, I'm a rower not a film maker, so I'm happy to admit it's not Spielburg by a long way. I did invest in better cameras on later trips, whether I improved my photographic skills is debatable.
До Конюхова тебе далеко...
stinky
Not much of an adventure in a $42,000 boat. ..lol
That would buy about half the boat, she is a thing of beauty though that took more than 6 months painstaking work by a gifted boat builder to complete. Wouldn't want to go cheap when she's the only thing between you and the bottom of the briny in a 15-20ft sea blowing at 35knts.
There's always one
Sorry but this is the most scripted and directed in all boating youtube. But most viewer doesn't notice it.
how do you not get blown off course or drift while sleeping?
You do go off course when you sleep, you just have to a) try and control the drift, b) row back to your course.
Wow