Monday 10th August- Day 46
- dawnysmiff
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
We made the most of the last 24 hours, knowing it was probably our final chance of enjoying a following breeze until the end of the week.
So we dug deep.
We rowed hard and covered a solid 51 nautical miles, which is a decent chunk taken out of the remaining distance.
Every mile feels more significant now.
As I write this, we have 126 nautical miles to Land’s End and 433 nautical miles to Burnham-on-Crouch.
Reaching shallow water will be a huge milestone for us, and not just because it means we’re back on the UK coastline.
It completely changes the way we can operate.
At the moment, if we stop rowing out here in deep water, we can’t simply throw the anchor over the side and stay put. The Atlantic is far too deep, so our only option is the parachute anchor, which slows our drift but doesn’t stop us completely. If the wind and current are going the wrong way, we can still end up moving backwards or drifting into areas where we’d rather not be—especially now we’re seeing much more commercial and fishing traffic.
Once we’re in shallower coastal waters, everything changes.
We can use our normal metal anchor, find a nice sandy bay and hold our position against the wind or the tide, knowing we’ll still be in exactly the same place when it’s time to set off again.
It’s a completely different way of planning the journey.
And if a bigger weather system comes through, we have another luxury we haven’t had for weeks…
We can simply head into a marina and wait it out.
Out in the open ocean there is no escape.
Whatever the Atlantic decides to throw at you, you deal with it.
That’s just part of ocean rowing.
Despite battling the tide at the moment, which is making progress frustratingly slow, today is actually beautiful.
The sun is shining.
The sky is blue.
Now if we could just remember where we packed the outboard engine…
…this would all be much easier!
The next few days are going to be a proper slog.
We know that.
But the promise of being close to land is becoming more real every day, and that will completely change how we plan and execute the final part of this expedition.
We’re also getting incredibly excited about arriving back in Burnham-on-Crouch on 29th August.
If you’re planning to come and cheer us home, please arrive early so you don’t miss us.
The plan is to be passing Burnham Sailing Club at the park end of the riverfront at around 1pm, where there’ll be entertainment, refreshments and free goody bags complete with hooters to help make as much noise as possible!
You can either wait there for us or head to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and walk along the riverfront as we row past, hearing the ceremonial cannons fired from each yacht club as we make our way home.
We’ll come ashore there to say hello and do a few interviews before climbing back aboard for the final few strokes.
Our official finish will be at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club, where we’d love everyone to come and join us for a celebratory drink.
In the evening there’s a Curry Night, and everyone is very welcome.
If you’d like to come along, please book with the yacht club so they know numbers.
We really can’t wait to see you all.
Home is finally starting to feel close enough to touch.
Dawn
“Together Paul and I are rowing home — the long way round.”
Hometown Row
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