The decision to undertake such a project is personal on many levels. As anyone who ever undertaken an endurance challenges, will testify, it gets in the blood. Nothing is more satisfying or self revealing. Nothing can teach you more about your own mental or physical limits. Each one is life changing. Each one is a once in a life time experience. Each one is 'wow'.
This is not for the faint hearted. Getting the boat in the water is a formidable challenge in itself, with many people failing to reach the port of departure, let alone the other side of the Atlantic. A project such as this has as much to do with Business and Management as it has to do with taking up a challenge and seeing it through to completion.
First, there is the research from books, logs of past attempts, speaking to past rowers, learning about weather systems, maps, pilot charts, currents, boat design, equipment, navigation, nutrition, risks and safety measures.
Then there is putting a team together with the knowledge and experience. I was lucky to meet with Rune Larsson, who was the first Swede to row across the Atlantic in 2003 and one of the Worlds best Ultra Marathon runners.
Second, is the planning, where I have been spending a lot of my time, in selecting the route, the times, the equipment, creating a project plan, estimating costs and setting budgets.
Third, is the fund raising, for a project such as this, that requires about Euro 100,000. In this respect, I have been fortunate enough to have a great network of contacts. Being the first person out of a billion to attempt such a challenge does help too.
Fourth, there is getting it all, the boat and the equipment together.
Fifth, there is the equipment training and testing. Learning how to fix things at sea, including the rudder, the water maker, the electrical wiring, the navigation equipment.
This includes testing for different disaster scenarios such as a capsize at sea.
After all that is over, then its time to point the boat to the distant horizon and row 3000 miles across the Atlantic.
As Richard Wood said, once its all over there are so many things still to do, boats to retrieve, repair or sell, working with the media, disappointments to overcome and perhaps worst of all, the knowledge deep down inside that there are many more boats to build, many more challenges to meet and other oceans waiting to be rowed.
In the end, no matter how much you plan, you could row the Atlantic only if it lets you. Only if it is gracious enough to let you achieve your goal or swallow you up in the process.
So, this is just the beginning of my story. It's a story that doesn't yet have an end. But I write it because its a huge undertaking and an experience worthy of recounting. I write it out of respect for all others who have attempted such a feat and those who have had the courage to support me in my desire to see this challenge through to its end.
I hope you enjoy the story.
B.
