What you learn when you row an ocean
As World's Toughest Row Pacific sets off, I contemplate what rowing an ocean teaches us - and round up the latest from the race
And they’re off… The crews of WTR Pacific have left Monterey on their journey across the North Pacific Ocean, and it’s not a surprise to see Swiss Raw already charging out of the blocks.
As I write this, the crews have just completed their first 48 hours on board. Those first two days are a surreal time, with your body full of adrenalin and your mind working overtime as it tries to absorb all these new experiences. I distinctly remember the strangeness of those first nights on the boat – and the disappointment of realising we weren’t going nearly as fast as we did on the Solent, with the assistance of the tide!
Many of this year’s fleet - like three out of four members of Swiss Raw - have already crossed one ocean, and I’ve always wondered what it feels like on the first night for second or third time competitors. Is it, “Yay, here we go again?” or is it more, “Bugger, what the hell am I doing back here?”
If it’s your first ocean, everything is so new and different, and that excitement gets you through the first few days. It isn’t until week three or so that the drudgery of the routine starts to set in and the deprivation takes its toll.
What I’m really saying is: does it feel like week one – or week six when you start the second ocean crossing? My last week on the boat was so tough that I would fear feeling like that again the minute I stepped back on an ocean rowing boat. (There’s only one way to find out I suppose…)
