Day 14 – Two weeks down

After 2 weeks on the water the crews continue perform admirably. They’re currently about 5 days into a period of stronger winds which are receiving a mixed welcome from the crews. It doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference to Team Cockleshell Endeavour who continue to be ruthlessly determined to hit their waypoints right down the centre. The winds which are faster than last week have given Atlantic Dagger a real shot in the arm and it seems that they’re relishing the stronger weather. Of course having said that being blasted by wind and spray in the face all day long can get a bit dull fairly quickly and they are already looking forwards to the end of the weekend when we can expect the winds to start dropping slightly.

Cockleshell Endeavour have their ear to the ground, or water?! and have heard through the seaweed vine about the additional speed which Atlantic Dagger have found. They were wondering if it was worth them diverting further south to take advantage of what they thought could be advantageous conditions. However, after realising that the other crew were only about 60nm to their south and were experiencing near identical conditions they have decided to stay on course for their next waypoint.

We’re sure that by now the crew have well and truly passed the “enjoyment” phase where the new environment is new and exciting. By now they’re probably in the head down, grind it out phase. Hopefully they can stay in this groove for as long as possible before the “I want to get off this bloody boat” phase kicks in. Ocean rowing is very much ‘type 2 fun’ which may not be enjoyable at the time, but when the crews are sitting on a beach in Barbados they will feel an incredible sense of pride and pleasure in their achievements. And so they should.