As soon as we got around the storm, we turned the boat toward the west (and the race finish line!) and began to get the advantage of “surfing” the ocean’s waves with some additional help from the east-to-west trade winds. When everything is timed right, the boat gets a huge speed boost from the waves. It’s both a lot of fun and a great morale boost to have nature helping us on our journey.
We received a good luck message from members of our HMS Oardacious support community, and it meant the world to us.
Just staying in the boat and continuing to row can be like a game when the seas are a bit rougher. Luckily, we’re winning that game so far, with lots of rowing happening and no unplanned swimming.
Toward the start of the race, we occassionally see other boats that are competing in the same challenge. We first see them on our tracking screen, and if the other boat comes close enough, we have a chance to say “Hi!” and exchange some news. It’s very cool to speak to other rowers and see how they are doing. Most of time, though, we are all by ourselves in what feels like a neverending ocean.
