40 DAYS, 5 HOURS, AND 30 MINUTES

Hello and a warm welcome to our team’s final newsletter. We hope you don’t mind, but this one is a bit longer (and has more pictures).

This is our story from the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, 2021:

Start

The start line was an intense rush. The emotions of years of preparation, the desperate separation from friends, family and loved ones, and the confidence that we had everything right culminated in the moment we were pushed away and lost sight of shore. Our first day and night were high-octane and well executed. It saw us on an excellent trajectory and on day two we were leading the race. Who would have thought!

Competition

We caught brief sights of other rowers during the first 4 days, then none thereafter. We spotted 10 other boats (commercial ships, sailboats) along the way. Some of them were just lights that would flash above the waves at night as they gradually passed us by. We received updates on the other rowboat positions from our shore team. After a fast start and leading for a few days, we slowly lost ground to the faster fours and threes on the more favorable southern route which was a blow to morale but part of the game. We were racing the whole way! While our northern route gamble didn’t pay off, we finished 12th out of the 36-boat fleet and 4th out of the 6 trios. The overall winners were a Swiss four-person team who we chatted with in La Gomera and in Antigua. They were cheerful and highly motivated young men!

Rowing

Our boat never stopped moving, except for the approximately 5 times we hopped out to scrape the bottom and take a short swim. Our days each comprised of 7 x 2 hour shifts of rowing, 6 x 1 hour breaks in between and one 4-hour break in the night. These shifts were staggered so we had 2 people rowing 18 hours a day with 6 hours of nighttime solo shifts. We busied ourselves on our breaks with eating, hygiene, navigation, water making, satellite calls, banter and precious rest. We averaged 5 hours of sleep per day, receiving critical REM cycles during the night. In total, we rowed 3,135 miles (5045 km), averaging 78 miles (125 km) per day.

Food & Weight Loss

We consumed between 4000 and 6000 calories per day. These calories came from ramen noodles, oatmeal, freeze-dried meals, electrolyte & protein powders and snacks both salty & sweet. We weighed ourselves before and after the race. Isaac lost 9 pounds, Jonathan 12 and Kramer 28. Most of our meals were homemade and we are satisfied to say that we did not tire too much of them. In fact, Jonathan would argue it got better over time – especially the mac and cheese which was made of crushed ramen + cheese powder in a Ziploc baggie - just add water!

Wildlife

We saw birds every day and when the conditions allowed, we witnessed a variety of fish. We saw large 7ft+ marlins, pods of dolphins, a pod of 30 minke whales, what we believe was a sperm whale and a sea turtle beside our little craft. Interestingly, the dead-flat conditions of the doldrums that cost us time in the race provided us with some of the best windows to view the endless blue below. Here is a video link to some of our best wildlife shots, plus some rowing: YouTube

Weather and Conditions

We were fortunate to avoid any large storms, though we experienced very strong winds and confused waves on the outskirts of a storm on Day 7. We occasionally had short stints of heavy rain, especially at night on the final two weeks of the row, which proved great for washing the deck of our boat and our clothes. We experienced days and nights of 10ft breaking waves that were terrifying due to their potential and unpredictability. But good advice from our sage mentors and our pre-race ocean experience kept us upright, afloat and determined. The days tended to be hot, bright and relentlessly long. The nights brought welcomed relief as the sun dipped over the horizon. The waves would meld into the void as we were each tasked to tackle our solo night shifts. We witnessed the moon complete a complete cycle: the nights got darker with the moon setting earlier each night. Being the only fully conscious being in a small boat battered by unseen waves was undeniably scary, yet humbling – your teammates were relying on you. On average, our boat travelled around 3 knots, velocity made good. However, some waves would carry us to speeds exceeding 13 knots. Trust the boat!

Challenges and Solutions

14 hours of rowing and 5 hours of sleep per day for 40 days meant brutal sleep deprivation, which we fought with 200mg caffeine pills and techno and disco music on repeat. We all experienced hallucinations and delirium, caused by a lack of sleep, exhaustion, and seasickness patches. Cloudy days meant less solar power to charge the boat’s batteries, so we had less power for water-making. We rationed water and power for a few days of the journey to ensure our steering wouldn’t quit in the night. The biggest health problem occurred when the skin on our butts became irritated from 14 hours of pressure each day, blistering and forming open sores stung by salt. At times the pain was so intense that it would take many tries to find the least painful way to sit. We brought and made foam seat pads and had a regimented skin care routine. Jonathan led a daily Captain’s Meeting to discuss weather, navigation, chores, team dynamics, physical, and mental health. During the meetings, each of us would rate out of ten: our mental state, physical wellbeing, and boat condition.

Motivation

Knowing everyone at home was watching and cheering us on provided a huge boost of confidence throughout the crossing. We were shocked to hear one of the amazing videos made by our social media wizard, Kai, had gained over 4000 views in a 24-hour period – wild. Our land team was ever present: Niccolò, Cait, Mark, and Jordan, along with friends and family were all a sat phone call away. Music was another successful motivator, however in hindsight we should have brought more than 40 hours of listening on a 40-day row! Regardless, we found many ways to help the hours go by. Trivia, detailed life stories and about every version of the alphabet game you can imagine! Conversely, we still haven’t figured out who decided to turn on the ‘miles to go’ function on our navigation with 1800 miles remaining…

Finish

Seeing sight of land was a moment of unbridled joy and a hesitant recognition that the end was near. Having had such a positive experience and having been cognizant of embracing our time on the ocean, we were all ready to return to land and reunite with the lives we had left behind. Walking was a little awkward at first, but we stabilized soon enough. Sleep was incredible, albeit a bit restless. This still hasn’t completely gone away. Physically, our hands took the longest to recover, not able to fully close for up to two weeks afterwards. Many of the thoughts, memories, and stories are still maturing in our minds, and will for many years to come.

Afterwards

Soon after the finish, our boat made its way back to its home country of the UK, and onward to new adventures in Malta. Seattle Times and Richmond Times (Virginia) ran articles about the team, which are available on our website. We raised enough funds to clothe over 40 schoolchildren. While our adventure has come to an end, we are keeping our website and Instagram available as a window back into the journey, both for us and for anyone curious enough to discover it.

Some Final Thoughts

It is impossible to convey the challenges and effort that was needed to reach this point. While we all know it happened, somehow it feels surreal to be done. The full meaning of the adventure will take time. But for now, for 3 strangers who otherwise would have had no reason to cross paths, it will serve as a high bar for the future.

While we are now parting ways, all of us free to explore the time we have ahead of us, this will forever remain as a reminder of what we can do when we commit to a passion and pursue it to fulfillment. We had many failures, lofty goals, unrealistic expectations and hard learned lessons along the way. But our passion and commitment to those who supported us and to each other kept us going. Dreams are hard to chase, and harder to fulfill. But now that its past, it’s time to start dreaming again.

To all our donors and sponsors, for one last time, thank you for believing in us.

Adventure On,

Pacific Boys