“Row, row row your boat, gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily (etc) life is but a dream”. When that was written in 1881, or possibly adapted, it was probably not meant for those people who choose to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Then again endurance rowing idea isn’t that new, the Vikings made a good fist of it discovering Greenland, Newfoundland plus Canada way before Columbus had the idea.
They did have a sail to help them though. They were looking to do a little relocating, which is a polite way of putting it. If, like them, you’re looking for Corporate Relocation Company then this website might help you http://www.dtmoving.com/relocation-services. What of the endurance rower what motivates them? The Transatlantic row that those Vikings took has become to standard which all are judged.
A lot of the time its for charity other times it’s just the challenge. Against the elements and your own bodies limits can you actually physically row across the Atlantic Ocean. Certainly not in one go, It’s three thousand miles across for one thing. Originally it was for the records and just the fact that you could prove it could be done. Now, however there is an official race. It leaves form the Isle of La Gomera in the Canary Islands with the first one past the finish line at Antigua being the winner. It’s not generally televised as it’s really more about the people competing and achieving the finish line than who gets over it first. Previous participants say that the competitive element is there more to drive you on to finish it rather than to win it. Life long friendships are made and there is general sense of all in it together.
Participants tell of the initial rush of leaving La Gomera as being a nice jolly start with a great party feel. That is soon washed away, sometimes quite literally, by the cold reality that you are no going to have to row a simple 7-foot boat, with the smallest of cabin spaces for you to laughable sleep in, across the Ocean. No one is going to fix the boat of there are any issues and the food and water on board are going to have to last you the trip to Antigua. Not only that you are probably for the first time ever going to be surrounded by water. You cannot see a speck of dry land anywhere. This apparently helps to focus the mind. There is the sense that the boat is your own private world, though you do have a teammate as it’s not wise to try and do it alone.
If that doesn’t “float your boat” you can attempt to do the Indian Ocean, know for it’s choppy seas or a circumnavigation of Britain with the delights of the North Sea. Failing that go for the big one and do the Pacific! Though there are more islands to hit as you head for Australia. Best of luck!