"One more day. One more day up and down the pitiless slide. One more day of blistered hands gripping unforgiving oars. But after more than 8,000 nautical miles (15,000km) at sea an epic five-and-a-half-month journey across the Pacific that included close encounters with whales, failing beacons and chocolate shortages the sea had one more challenge. A gusting 20-knot wind off Cairns kept pushing Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne's tiny rowboat, the Velocity, from the terra firma that was now achingly close."
"The wind was pushing us off the channel, and we honestly thought we weren't going to make it. We ended up outside the channel and thought we might have to swim to shore. To finally be here, after talking about it for so long, just feels incredible. We still can't quite believe it's real. After so many days at sea, to finally see land, and the welcome we've had here in Cairns, is beyond words."
"Rowe is 28 and Payne 25 pushed off from Lima, Peru, on 5 May (an initial attempt in April was derailed by a rudder failure). Over 165 days at sea, they averaged 50 nautical miles a day, rowing in tandem during the day, one rowing alone at night while her crewmate slept a bare handful of hours in a cramped cabin."
Jess Rowe (28) and Miriam Payne (25) rowed from Lima, Peru, to Cairns across more than 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) of the Pacific. Departure occurred on 5 May after an April attempt failed from rudder damage. The crossing lasted 165 days with an average of about 50 nautical miles per day, with tandem daytime rowing and alternating night shifts while sleeping in a cramped cabin. Supplies included 400 kg of mostly freeze-dried food, a water desalinator, and a micro-greens unit; solar power was unreliable. The pair endured 9-metre waves, storms, whale encounters, failing beacons, navigation loss, and supply shortages, and faced a difficult wind-driven final approach into Cairns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]