What happens when four guys try to cross the Atlantic…in a rowboat
August 12, 2013 10:45 AM   Subscribe

They battle crosswinds and waves that attack from the side, rocking them relentlessly and slamming the oars into the rowers’ shins until they’re bruised and bleeding. They go ashen with seasickness, but Hanssen is the worst. “I can vomit and row at the same time,” he notes cheerfully. -- Rowing across the Atlantic Ocean
posted by Chrysostom (15 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Rowing a boat in rough waters on a lake sucks. I can't even imagine crossing a #&*ing ocean like that.
posted by schmod at 10:49 AM on August 12, 2013


but .. but.. there are FIVE guys in the picture..

(yes, yes, I know the caption spells it out .. )

there .. are.. four .. lights..
posted by k5.user at 11:08 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


What happens? Shit happens. The map is always flat but the world isn't.

I have friends who "enjoy" ultramarathon bike rides, like coast to coast, winner gets a ribbon. I don't understand the motivation.

In my line of work there is an occasional failure, but I succeed a lot more often than I fail, because if I didn't it would be hard to remain motivated, and I wouldn't be in business. I can't imagine investing years of my life in one roll of the dice, and falling short of a goal.

That's gotta leave a mark.
posted by Repack Rider at 11:55 AM on August 12, 2013


but .. but.. there are FIVE guys in the picture..

George Martin?
posted by yoink at 11:58 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Yesterday I sailed about 25 miles upwind in up to about 30 knots of wind (from Monterey to Santa Cruz, CA), and I was never more than about 9 miles offshore, but it's enough to remind you exactly why you might not want to do something like this. A sailboat keeps making forward progress when it's windy. A rowboat would be a nightmare. You have almost no control over anything if there's any significant wind or waves, you just have to hope you drift in the right direction.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 12:02 PM on August 12, 2013


"This might not be the right time to tell you, but there is a giant turd floating next to your head."

That pretty much sums it up.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:05 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


I don't think the article explicitly said it, but was the reason they capsized is because the dude didn't shut the hatch when going down for his nap ? Or was it a rogue-wave phenomenon (box wave)/freak occurrence ?

(Nor was it clear why the boat wouldn't right it self -- wasn't that in the intro how they did all the training with SEAL trainers etc that the boat would right it self and what not, so why wouldn't it after this capsize ? )
posted by k5.user at 12:18 PM on August 12, 2013


I don't think the article explicitly said it, but was the reason they capsized is because the dude didn't shut the hatch when going down for his nap ? Or was it a rogue-wave phenomenon (box wave)/freak occurrence ?

(Nor was it clear why the boat wouldn't right it self -- wasn't that in the intro how they did all the training with SEAL trainers etc that the boat would right it self and what not, so why wouldn't it after this capsize ? )


A boat that's self-righting when it's not full of water is not necessarily self-righting when it is full of water. The reason the boat filled up with water is because the hatch was left open. The reason it capsized is because it was full of water.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 12:40 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Shout out to Amyr Klink, first single-handed crossing of the South Atlantic in a rowing boat.
posted by Tom-B at 12:49 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


> The reason the boat filled up with water is because the hatch was left open.
> The reason it capsized is because it was full of water.

The water it soon came in, it did,
The water it soon came in;
So to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet
In a pinky paper all folded neat,
And they fastened it down with a pin.
posted by jfuller at 3:18 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


This seems like a good place to put The Ballad of Harbo and Samuelson (true story!), by Jerry Bryant.
posted by Miko at 3:19 PM on August 12, 2013


How is there no photo of the damn boat?
posted by orme at 5:07 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


You can see some pictures and video of the boat on their web page:
http://oarnorthwest.com/

There's also video of Kreek's homecoming.
posted by flyingfox at 5:17 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


"This might not be the right time to tell you, but there is a giant turd floating next to your head."

Is there ever really a right time for the "there's a giant turd floating next to your head" conversation?
posted by yoink at 5:23 PM on August 12, 2013


Haha, I had a very different mental image of "rowboat."
posted by thinkpiece at 3:55 AM on August 13, 2013


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