In just under 800 days’ time, I’ll be rowing across the Atlantic Ocean solo in a 7.3m rowing boat. The race, organised by Atlantic Campaigns and known at the World’s Toughest Row, is expected to take me 55 days but could take as much as double.
Probably one of the most important elements is establishing – and sticking to – a routine on board. I am a creature of habit, so this is even more important.
Everything rotates around rowing. In non-solo crossings, most crews follow a two-hours rowing, two-hours off schedule. As a solo, you do whatever you want, based on your strengths and likes (or dislikes).
This is what my plan looks like.
12am to 2am: This is my last (or first, whichever way you look at it) row of the day. I’m not overly keen on rowing at night, but lower temperatures will make for a more comfortable ride. At the end of this row, I will take my longer rest.
2am to 6am: At the end of my row, I plan to have a hearty meal and then sleep (or rest) for four hours (more like 3.5 hours as I’ll need to prepare food and make sure the boat is fine). Sleep depends on how rough the sea is and any alerts – the AIS warning for ships that are close by, or the navigation aids warning me that I’m going too far off my set course.
Because of the latter, I may choose to deploy my sea anchor (like a parachute but underwater) to keep the boat stable and also avoid going backwards. Just a side note – being able to sleep for more than an hour would be really amazing, so fingers crossed for this.
6am to 8am: After getting up around 5.45am and checking the boat, it’s immediately back on the oars at 6am. I’m not really a breakfast person. Better get to work at once. This is also sunrise time when nature puts on a show for me.
8am to 9am: With four hours rowing under my belt, I now need to get ready for the day. This time is, foremostly, coffee time. I didn’t take coffee on my last row as I didn’t like the powder milk. It’ll be creamer this time. After coffee, I have to clean the solar panels, boil water for the whole day, check the boat, see exactly where I am and make sure I’m still heading in the right direction, and clean and clear the boat. Maybe an hour isn’t enough. Oh, and I also need to eat something.
9am to midday: This is the first of my three three-hour rows of the day.
Midday to 2pm: Lunch time. With the water already boiled, this won’t take long to prepare, and even less to eat. At this time every day, I’ll note my position and the miles travelled. My BGAN, a piece of equipment that gives me internet on the ocean, will be turned on so I can check what’s happening in the world and get in touch with my family and shore team to discuss the weather and routing. My sat phone will also be on, waiting for a call from the race organisers who check in regularly to see that participants are fine and provide help as needed.
2pm to 5pm: My second three-hour row. Later on in the row, this becomes the worst part as temperatures hit 40 Celsius and beyond – heat exhaustion was an issue last time. Solar panels also get another clean.
5pm to 7pm: Eat and rest.
7pm to 10pm: Another three-hour slog, with the benefit of enjoying the sunset.
10pm to midnight: Sleep.
There are other things to factor in – hull cleaning, bad weather, injuries, fatigue, repairs, and the dreaded storms, which means being locked in the cabin for hours on end. Can’t wait.
Watch my last rowing adventure across the Atlantic here.
If you are interested in supporting or sponsoring my row, you can contact me on steve@chetcuti.ch
