Racing — Pacific Boys

The pacific boys completed the

Rowing and Shift Schedule

Our boat moved 24 hours a day: 18 hours with 2 rowing, 6 hours with 1 rowing.
Each person rowed 2 hours, rested 1 hour, for 20 hours/day + a 4-hour sleep shift = 14 hours rowing per person per day.
Busy with rowing, eating, hygiene, navigation, other chores, etc., we averaged 5 hours of sleep per day.
We rested and slept in water-tight cabins (see: pacificboys.com/boat).

Food & Water

We had 60 days of food: oatmeal, Ramen noodles, Mountain House freeze-dried meals, carbohydrate & protein powder, snacks.
We ate between 4000 and 6000 calories per day, varying with crew member’s hunger, free time.
We desalinated ocean water with a Schenker electric water-maker powdered by solar panels, producing 5 gallons per hour.
We used 10 gallons per day: 6 (2 each) for drinking & food, 2 for laundry, 1 for showers, 1 for cleaning equipment.
We weighed ourselves before and after: Isaac 207 -> 198 (-9 lbs), Jonathan 146 -> 134 (-12 lbs), Kramer 245 -> 217 (-28 lbs)

Safety

Rowers on deck were attached to the boat with climbing harnesses and tethers.
In case of capsize, our boat was self-righting: water-tight air compartments on top, food + water + equipment as ballast.
We had an AIS beacon to show our position to others and proximity alarms to alert us if a AIS-equipped ship was within 2 miles.
We were trained and certified in first-aid, survival at sea, navigation, and marine radio operation.

Communication

We used two Iridium GO satellite phones to check in with race officials about weather, equipment & health checks.
We also used the satellite phones to call our shore team about weather and navigation decisions.
We also used the satellite phones to call and text friends, family, and other boats in the race.
We used our smartphones, Whatsapp messaging app, and Inmarsat BGAN satellite internet to send pictures and to receive pictures of weather forecasts.

Weather

We didn’t pass through any large storms, though we experienced very strong winds and waves near a storm on Day 7.
We had some light rain, great for washing the deck of our boat and our clothes.
We had a few days and nights of 10+-ft breaking waves.
We received 12-, 24-, and 36+-hour weather forecasts (e.g., wind speed and direction, wave height and direction) from our shore team, sourced from windy.com.

Navigation

We set our direction of travel with the GPS positions of our location and destination, along with current and upcoming weather.
We held our direction of travel using a tiller (rudder) autopilot, adjusting the direction every 2 hours to 3 days.
We saw other racing rowboats in the first 4 days, then never again, and 10 other boats (commercial ships, sailboats) along the way.

Keeping Good Spirits

We saw birds every day, some fish, a marlin, dolphins every few days, a pod of 30 minke whales, a sperm whale, and a sea turtle.
We played music downloaded on our phones using Bluetooth speakers.
Jonathan led a daily Captain’s Meeting to discuss weather, navigation, chores, team dynamics, physical and mental health.

Biggest Challenges, and Solutions

14 hours of rowing + 5 hours of sleep per day, for 40 days = sleep deprivation (we took 200mg caffeine pills)
Cloudy days meant less solar power to charge on boat’s batteries = less power for water-making (we rationed water and power)
Skin on our butts became irritated, blistering, open sores (we brought spare seat pads, had regimented skin care)

360 miles through the Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Strait of Georgia, near Seattle, Washington, USA
2021 entries: 50 teams
All boats were engine-less: sailboats, kayaks, rowboats, cycle-drive boats, stand-up paddle boards, etc.,
Each member of Pacific Boys rowed 14 hours a day; the boat was always moving through the day and night.
All boats were self-supported, we carried all our food, gear, etc., and slept on the boat (see: pacificboys.com/boat)
Only 38 of the 50 boats finished the race (due to mechanical failures, weather events, …)