About Ocean Rowing
Ocean rowing is a growing sport in which specialised boats are used to row across open oceans. The sport is as much psychological as it is physical – ocean rowers have to endure long periods of time at sea rowing anything up to 12 hours a day. The first ocean row was undertaken by two Norwegians - Frank Samuelsen and George Harbo - who rowed an open wooden rowing boat from New York to France in 1896.
It would be seventy years before the next ocean row – 1966 - when John Ridgeway and Sir Chay Blythe succeeded in rowing from Newfoundland to Ireland. In recent years, the sport of ocean rowing has grown in popularity. The following table shows the steady growth in the sport over the past thirty years (courtesy of the Ocean Rowing Society):
Years No. of Ocean Rows Attempted % Increase:
1979-1988 19 n/a
1989-1998 53 179%
1999-2008 250 372%
Ocean rowing has been termed by some as ‘the new Everest’; however, despite the increasing number of rows across the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, fewer people (as of 2006) had rowed across an ocean than had climbed Everest or had been into space!! Due to the dynamic nature of the oceans, it is necessary to row with the prevailing winds and currents. This means that an east to west traverse of the North Atlantic must be done in the lower latitudes to take advantage of the Trade Winds and currents, and a reverse journey done in the northern latitudes. Due to the colder and rougher conditions of the north, the majority of Atlantic crossings are east to west. The Canary Islands off the coast of Africa are an ideal launching point for east to west ocean rows, being situated at the base of the Trade Wind Belt. It is 3000 miles from the Canaries to the Caribbean. Although this route starts and finishes on islands, it is considered by most to be a complete Atlantic crossing, and takes advantage of the ideal weather conditions and currents.
Why, oh why???
The answer to this question is quite simple; why not? I could give you a million answers and all of them would be relevant.
In short, I believe that getting involved in challenges like this takes a certain type of person. I enjoy pushing myself to the limit and then a little bit further. For me it's about saying, “I can do this, but it won't be easy”. It's about setting a challenging goal and enjoying the process involved in trying to achieve it. It not just about thinking “I want to row the Atlantic Ocean”. It's about enjoying the training, the fundraising, the generation of sponsorship, learning new skills and learning more about myself. In other words the process of achieving the goal, for me, is as enjoyable and important as achieving the goal itself. Henry Ford summed it up well when he said, “Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right”.
Of course, with all of this comes the added bonus that I am helping to raise much-needed funds and create awareness for my chosen charity.
So there are many answers to this question; I love setting goals and challenging myself, it will help raise much-needed funds and awareness for my selected charity, it's something I can tell my grandchildren and, in the words of Peter van Kets (a solo Atlantic Rower from the 2009 race), it gives you a feeling of owning your own life. All of these are genuine motivational influences for me.
About Me (Adam Burke)
I never know what to put into sections like this…so here goes:
I'm 28 year old, recently graduated teacher of Physical Education. I did my undergraduate BA at Dundalk Institute of Technology in Community Sports Leadership and have an MSc. in the Sociology of Sport and Exercise from the University of Chester. I'll be graduating from the University of Limerick later this year with a HDip in PE.
In the last 10 years I have dabbled in almost every kind of sport from kite surfing to scuba diving to gymnastics. I have also played soccer, rugby and Gaelic football. I was a bungee jump instructor in Crete for a few years and recently have joined up with the University of Limerick rowing team. Basically, there is no sport I don't like.
So why am I doing this? To be honest, I'm not sure. I remember watching the documentary of Ben Fogle and James Cracknell (‘Through Hell and High Water') completing the same challenge in back in 2005. While everyone else seemed to be thinking that they were mad, I found myself getting very jealous of the adventure they were having. Since then it has been a life dream. So there are lots of reasons why: because it's hard; because I love pushing myself; because I love challenges. There is also the prospect of being able to support my chosen charity. Even now, that idea is a big motivator when I am in the gym. It will be one of the hardest things that I have ever done, and that's all part of the adventure. Bring it on!!
News :
UPDATE: Thurs Feb 17th - If you missed Adam's interview on LMFM yesterday afternoon (Wed 16th Feb) - click here to download the mp3! :)
UPDATE: Sun Feb 13th - If you missed Adam's interview on 98FM this morning - click here to listen to the podcast! :)
UPDATE: Tues Feb 8th - Message from Adam: "Success!! We beat the world record by about 11hrs!! I've never been so exhausted or delighted in my life. I'll get in touch with everyone over the next few weeks but for now let me just say THANK YOU to everyone who supported me. It belongs to all of us. I'm going to sleep for a week straight!"
UPDATE: Tues Feb 8th - Sara G arrived in Port St Charles Marina at 11:16GMT on February 8th 2011 and became the fastest boat in the history of ocean rowing !!!
UPDATE: Tues Feb 8th - at 8:47GMT Matt (Skipper of the Sara G) called the ORS and informed them that Sara G passed the North Point of Barbados! Not long to go now...
UPDATE: Mon Feb 7th - Sara G ETA between 9.00 & 11.00 Feb 8th Port St Charles, Barbados. Hallin Marine arrived at 20.02GMT Monday Feb 7th, breaking the world record set by La Mondiale - Sara G has to arrive less than 27hrs 12mins after Hallin Marine in order to become the new world record holders!
UPDATE: Sat 30th Jan - click here to download the .mp3 of Adam's LMFM interview!
UPDATE: Adam will be interviewed live via Sat phone on LMFM tomorrow - Fri 28th January - at 2.30PM! Listen live here! :)
UPDATE: On Jan 22 2011 at 5:30GMT,the Sara G passed the halfway point ! Time elapsed - 16 days 16 hours. Distance from the Start and to the Finish - 1629.5 miles.
UPDATE: WORLD RECORD EXTENDED TO 12 DAYS!! (Thurs 20th): See the Ocean Rowing Society site
for more details!:)
UPDATE: CREW OF SARA G CURRENTLY WORLD RECORD HOLDERS (Wed 19th): They have rowed 11 consecutive days of 100miles or over per day! The previous record of 9 days was held by La Mondiale. See the Ocean Rowing Society's site for more details!:)
UPDATE from Adam on the Sara G (Tues 18th): "Weather took a turn for the worse yesterday about lunch which meant our speed reduced a bit. We were trying to get a record for the most amount of consecutive days with 100+ statute miles. We are on 9 but it will be down to the wire if we can get it today. Hard, hard rowing all night so we’re very tired this morning.Still in good spirits though and confident of returning to our proper speed soon. Lots of fish turning up now - flying fish on the deck, Dorado under the boat and Tuna fish taking a pop at the smaller fish every now and again. Prob also a few bigger predators knocking about so a swim is out of the question!!Counting the days down now. We will be at our halfway mark on Thursday roughly but really that will be well over halfway if you include our journey down from Agadir".
UPDATE from Adam on the Sara G (Sat 15th): "A lot of people are asking about speed and how come it fluctuates so much? Simple answer..winds, current and swell. These are changing constantly but every now and again they align to all go in our favour. We are due to have some good winds over the next few days so we should keep making 90 nautical miles for the short term future.We are still on track to break the record at the min but having done just under a third of the journey, a lot can happen. We are only racing ourselves as we feel that we are strong team. We wish the others the very best of luck and above all, a safe crossing. We also have a very experienced captain who knows how to get the best from the boat. There is also a big amount of luck involved in catching the right winds. The other reason the speed changes is due to shift changes or the use of the toilet. Its updated ever 20 mins via a system called AIS to the website. We’re cruising along nicely today and morale is high".
UPDATE from Adam on the Sara G (Thurs 13th): "Expected winds were not as severe as 1st thought. We can still make some good headway now! A difficult slog last night against choppy waters making about 3 knots average. Sore hands and lost most of my fat. Eating more now than ever thought. Crew in great spirits in this boat that is built like four star hotel..but without the four stars!"
UPDATE from Adam on the Sara G (Wed 12th): "I can't believe we have done over a week already. There are times when its great fun and other times when have no idea why I decided to do this. My body is coping incredibly well considering the pressure I'm putting it under. Like the others said before I left, its really a mental thing. The night time shifts are the worst as the drag on for what seems like days. My favourite shift is the 4-6 one because its cool (less than 40)! We’re due to get some big waves later today but and the wind is due to calm".
UPDATE from Adam on the Sara G, 10/1/11: "My shifts are 4-6, 8-10, 12-2, 4-6, 8 – 10, and 12 – 2. The night time ones are the worst..they seem to go on forever. Very hot during the day..must be about 35-40 degrees. The good winds finally came last night and as you probably saw the miles started to go up....the cabin is a complete sweatbox though during the day and it makes for very uncomfortable sleeping..straight after a shift the routine normally involves eating and sleeping. The lads are great fun and the team spirit is like nothing I've experienced before. If we can stay in favourable wind we will have a great chance of breaking at least one record: the most amount of miles done in a day, the highest average speed over this distance and/or the quickest crossing".
UPDATE, 9/1/11: Sara G reached 6 knots (approx. 7 miles per hour) a couple of times this weekend! See charts comparing Sara G with with world record holder, La Mondiale, and current competitor, Hallin Marine, on The Ocean Rowing Society's - click here.
UPDATE from Adam on the SaraG, 7/1/11: "We set off yesterday from Tarfaya with good conditions and began making good miles. However after about 12 hours the wind picked up directly against us and got up to 20 knots. It is due to swing round at some stage tonight and then should help us make some big miles. There are a few other teams leaving the next few days that you can also check out on the Ocean Rowing Society's page. Some shifts, particularly those at the early hours of the morning are tough but overall I am enjoying it and believe that we have a bloody good chance to get this record now! I'm holding up well but have lost all my extra body fat already. It's hard to keep eating but I've increased my intake today to about 4500 cals. Saw 2 Whales today too".
UPDATE, 5/1/11: Adam & crew rowed out of Tarfaya after 1pm today (Wed 5th) after a few days of much-needed rest & repacking of the boat! It also seems as if they were the local celebrities for a few days! Reports from Tarfaya are all positive - weather looks good, gloves are keeping the blisters away from his hands & the crew are getting along great! Good luck guys! We're with you all the way! :)
UPDATE, 4/1/11: Adam & crew arrived safely into Tarfaya port (Morocco) shortly after 9pm last night (Mon 3rd Jan) to unload the engine & recharge their batteries! They are planning to leave at 1pm tomorrow (Wed 5th Jan) to start their world record attempt, hoping to catch some trade winds along the way!
UPDATE, 2/1/11: Adam & crew departed Agadir at approx. 3.45pm on Fri Dec 31st on engine to make their way to Tarfaya port (further down the coast of Morocco) - a journey they estimated at approx 40hrs. Unfortunately, they ran into engine problems so had to take up the oars early & are due into Tarfaya tomorrow eve (Mon 3rd) and will start their world record attempt soon after!