Monday 11th January
- dawnysmiff
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
(Covering the last 24 hours)
We said things would pick up… and pick up they did!
We covered 72 nautical miles in the past 24 hours, and we’re really pleased with that. After the grind of the last couple of weeks, it feels brilliant to finally see the miles stack up properly again.
🧽 A Clean Bottom Makes All the Difference
Paul got back in the water to clean the bottom of the boat, and we’re certain it’s made a big difference. There was far more growth down there than we expected — especially on areas without antifoul, such as the “1” and “2” stickers.
Those stickers are there so you can coordinate getting the boat back the right way up in the very unlikely event it ever went upside down and didn’t immediately self-right. Ironically, they’d turned into little patches of wildlife, each with their own mini ecosystems growing on them.
Once all that drag was gone, the boat felt noticeably freer through the water.
🌬️ Conditions Finally Lining Up
The wave direction and general conditions now seem to be working with us, and the forecast suggests they’ll stay that way for at least the next week. Fingers crossed that means some consistently good mileage.
🔢 A Big Psychological Boost
We hit a major milestone today, passing 1,000 nautical miles to go at 09:20. Watching that distance tick down from four digits to three gives a huge mental lift — it suddenly feels very achievable.
Next target: 500 nautical miles.
Wish us luck!
🐟 A Weird but Wonderful Visitor
We had a sunfish following us for a while — and we think they might be our favourite visitors so far (although we’re still very much hoping for more whale sightings!).
Sunfish, also known as Mola mola, are the heaviest bony fish in the ocean. They look so strange because they don’t have a traditional tail. Instead, their bodies end abruptly in a structure called a clavus, which gives them that cut-off appearance. Their tall dorsal and anal fins propel them through the water with a gentle, waving motion, making them look oddly serene and slightly clueless at the same time. (Confession I googled some of this bit!! lol)
🥔 The Pringles Saga Continues
Jake came very close again during the night. We’re starting to think he only appears under cover of darkness — knowing full well we can’t get to his Pringle stash so easily!
We’re ahead of him right now, but we suspect he’s resting. As soon as he gets back on the oars, we fully expect him to come storming back to join us. We’ll try to grab some photos if he does.
Momentum feels good right now. Long may it last.
Dawn
“Together Paul and I are rowing home — the long way round.”
Hometown Row
Leg 1 – La Gomera to Antigua
Leg 2 – Antigua to Florida
Leg 3 – Canada to the UK
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