It had to happen sooner or later, and this is a bit later than we thought we’d start hearing the teams talking about their rear ends. It’s inevitable that as the rowers continue through their adventure things start to break. Occasionally it’s equipment which ceases to function or break but the rowers’ bodies also take…

Ordinarily the weather systems of the southern part of the North Atlantic Ocean are controlled by the virtually ever-present Azores high. This high pressure system sits over the top of the Azores. Although it often gets shoved, kicked and knocked about by low pressure systems rolling out of the USA the status quo is normally…

With lighter winds coming from a less helpful direction both crews have found the last few days more challenging than the recent past. Both crews were concerned that they had rowed into an area of current flowing back towards Gran Canaria and were asking about the best way to avoid it. For certain the current…

The more observant of you will have spotted that Cockleshell’s route yesterday took a rather rapid southerly turn. We were a bit concerned so got in touch with the team and they replied. The current became super strong against us. We tried for 9 hours, the last 3 hours we made 1.5 miles. Thinking this…

We heard through the grape vine that Cockleshell Endeavour had recently enjoyed a rather special day. We cleaned the bottom of the boat today and all had a swim/clean (first proper one in 10 days) then saw some dolphins had a glass of port and back on it again” Cockleshell Endeavour 2021 Does it get…

As the crews approach the halfway point it seem inevitable that they will start the ‘arrival game’ of when they might arrive in Barbados. So let’s look at the reasons why the crews will give themselves a headache trying to work out this tricky noodle scratcher. The total distance in a straight line for the…

…quiet. It’s been fairly quiet today at Mission Atlantic HQ. No grumbling crews complaining (not that they do often). No status updates. Only the speeds and positions of the crews, updated every 10 minutes, to give us an indication of what’s going on. The only piece of new information we can layer on top of…

When grinding out a 2km test on a rowing machine which lasts maybe 6 or 7 minutes it’s natural that energetic pump-up music is chosen. Of course when the duration of the session is significantly longer, the mood of music generally selected alters significantly. Both crews have a Bluetooth speakers and their phones which are…

Rowing the Atlantic is a unique challenge and everyone who is able to complete the route returns with an array of unique stories. Although one stint on the oars may sound very similar to another, (hint: it is often identical) every shift does have the capacity to be a one-off. Those who are rowing the…

After around a week of stronger weather conditions there is relief in slight for the crews. Wind speeds are due to drop over the next 24 hours from 16-20kts down to 12-16kts. Then on Sunday they’re expected to decrease again from 14kts in the morning to around 7kts in the afternoon. A gentle breeze to…