The more time that has passed since finishing the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic challenge, the fonder my memories are of it. After stepping off the boat, having just broken the world record and won the 5-man race, the only thing I could reflect on was the pain, fatigue and arguments within the crew.
With hindsight, the scale of what we achieved has now sunk in and I couldn’t have had a better team to share the experience with.
I first decided to join the Ocean 5 to take on a real adventure, and that is exactly what I got. Breaking two oars within the first few hours of the race, watching my experienced teammates succumb to seasickness and capsizing the boat 1000 miles from land were definitely the more ‘exciting’ moments of the crossing.
As incredible as the experience was, I am pleased to say that rowing the Atlantic once was enough! I would not do it again, mainly because I now know how hard physically and mentally it was. But to anyone considering undertaking this infamous race, for anyone curious as to how far they push themselves, I couldn’t recommend it enough.