Day 22 – Exhaustion

ByChris Martin

It’s a marathon not a sprint was one of the main focusses we briefed the team on before departure. Unsurprisingly rowing for 12 hours a day and then there’s the real job of squeezing in eating, drinking, cleaning, getting dressed and undressed, sending messages home and resting / sleeping in the other 12 hours. This means that fairly frequently the job of sleeping and recovery falls down the schedule meaning that exhaustion kicks in.

Added to that challenge is the fact that the cabin is roasting hot from the sun for a fair portion of the day and it doesn’t get much cooler at night so the quality of rest you get isn’t great. If you are rowing in a boat with the standard schedule of 2 hours on 2 hours off then by the time you actually get off the oars and into the cabin, take off your lifejacket and tether, get changed / undressed and get ready for sleep that you’ll maybe have 1 hour 40 minutes before you have to be waking up and getting dressed and ready to get back onto the oars again. This brutal schedule affects different people in very different ways but everyone will feel the effects of such a lot of physical effort combined with minimal opportunities to recover.

Rowing Stones have been feeling these effects most strongly in the last few days but have come together as a team to ensure that those crew members who need a rest have been given that chance to recover. Sometimes all it needs is the understanding of your crewmates, some water with electrolytes in, a big meal and a 12 hour sleep to recharge your internal batteries and get back onto top form again. If nothing else this shows the value in having a strong team around you who are all looking out for each other and focussed on your welfare.

Rowing Stones yesterday also reported that the weather was nice and they saw a massive yellow sponge surrounded by many little fishes. We’re not sure what this could be but suspect that it may have been another piece of abandoned fishing equipment. At least it took their minds off being quite so tired for a few minutes.

Similar Posts

  • Day 41 – On approach

    ByChris Martin

    We’re getting closer now to preparing for the arrival of the crews. Many family members have been in touch asking about when we think the crews will be arriving into Barbados. The crews will be arriving into Port St Charles which is on the North Western side of Barbados. The YB tracker does give an…

  • Day 9 – Aerial visitors

    ByChris Martin

    The crews have already received welcome visitors from whales and dolphins from beneath the waves. Now they are starting to receive visitors from the air in the form of birds and insects. Despite having rowed for more than a week and even through they have rowed more than 300nm they are less than 250nm off…

  • Day 28 – Three weeks at sea

    ByChris Martin

    After three weeks at sea it’s so encouraging to see the daily mileages continuing to climb. Ocean’s Elite have been considering shaving their Captain Birdseye beards off but have decided against it…for now. They have been very vigilant about not complaining at any time about the struggles they’ve been facing but it’s clear that the…

  • Day 6 – Current

    ByChris Martin

    Those of you who have been closely following the YB tracker may have noticed the recent dip in speed of Rowing Stones followed shortly afterwards by the recent increase in speed of Ocean’s Elite. It’s almost as though the crews were playing a video game where their boat goes over a speed booster, and in…

  • Day 7 – One week in and it’s getting rough

    ByChris Martin

    One week into their Atlantic adventure, the crews of Mission Atlantic are already showing remarkable grit and determination. However, the ocean has no intentions of making things easy. Over the last 24 hours rain, and intensifying winds have tested their resolve, and now the crews face their biggest challenge yet. Riding the StormFor Ocean’s Elite,…

  • Day 31 – Tea

    ByChris Martin

    We have shocking and deeply distressing news to report from Ocean’s Elite. They are running low on tea. The shear magnitude of this startling revelation cannot be underestimated. Those with a military background will understand the restorative powers of a hot wet (hot drink). It boosts morale, sharpens mental focus and gives a team something…