Friday 3rd July- Day 8

Well... they can't all be postcard days.

The last 24 hours have been pretty crappy, if I'm honest.

The fog stayed with us for virtually the entire day yet again. It has become our constant companion. Every now and again you convince yourself it's starting to lift... only for another bank of thick grey mist to roll straight back in.

Then, just as evening arrived, things got even more interesting.

The rain came.

So did the wind.

Unfortunately, it arrived from completely the wrong direction.

Thankfully, we'd anticipated this might happen and had already made some progress further south the previous day, so we were able to alter course and head back up into it. Even so, it hasn't been pretty.

It's been cold.

It's been wet.

It's been miserable.

And we're still not quite able to head exactly where we'd like.

One of the frustrating things about rowing into these conditions is that you can't stop for even a minute.

Normally, grabbing a quick drink or snack only costs a few boat lengths. But with the wind and sea pushing us sideways, the moment you stop rowing the boat swings beam-on to the conditions. Before you know it, you're drifting backwards and sideways, and it takes a huge effort to get Penny B pointing in the right direction again.

It's amazing how quickly you can lose all the hard-earned momentum from a few minutes of rowing.

The damp is starting to win the battle too.

My cabin is damp.

My sleeping bag feels damp.

My clothes are damp.

Even the clothes that are meant to be dry seem to have absorbed moisture from the air.

There hasn't actually been a huge amount of rain over the past week, but the combination of fog, cold air and constant moisture means nothing ever really gets the chance to dry out.

We're definitely due a proper sunny day.

Not just for morale, but so we can spread everything out on deck and let the sun do its job.

I have to admit... this is much more like the North Atlantic I was expecting.

It isn't always spectacular sunsets, whales and calm seas.

Sometimes it's simply about putting your head down, pulling on the oars and reminding yourself that every difficult shift eventually comes to an end.

The good days make you smile.

The tough days make the story worth telling.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings a little sunshine.

---

Dawn

“Together Paul and I are rowing home — the long way round.”

Hometown Row

📩 You can have Dawn’s blogs delivered directly to your inbox here:

👉 https://dawn2609.substack.com/

🌐 Or visit the website:

www.rowaurora.co.uk