Saturday 20th December
- dawnysmiff
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
(Covering the last 24 hours)
Wow! We’re genuinely impressed with our mileage over the last 24 hours:
86 nautical miles rowed with 76 nautical miles VMG.
📈 What Is VMG?
VMG stands for Velocity Made Good. If you’re watching us on the YB tracker and wondering what that number means, here’s a simple explanation.
Miles rowed = the actual distance the oars have pushed the boat through the water
VMG = how much closer we are to Antigua
At the moment, we’re heading a little further south rather than directly at Antigua, so the VMG will always be slightly lower than the total miles rowed.
The same applies to speed:
Click on the boat on the map and you’ll see our actual speed
Look at the leaderboard and you’ll see our speed made good towards Antigua, which will be lower for the same reason
Either way, it’s all positive progress — and a solid day’s work.
☁️ Low Cloud, Cool Rowing
The low cloud cover is still hanging around. It’s actually quite nice to row in the cooler temperatures, but wearing so many layers does start to feel a bit uncomfortable after a while.
Still, we’ll take cool over roasting any day.
⏱️ A Typical 24 Hours On Board
A few people have asked what a “normal” day looks like out here, so here’s a snapshot of a 24-hour cycle onboard Penny B:
10am – 1pm (off shift)
Turn on Starlink (more on that another time)
Fire up the weather apps
Plot position and route for the next 24 hours
Send social media photos
Write this blog
Personal admin: clean up, brush teeth
Boil water and make food
Quick nap before the alarm goes
12:50pm
Alarm goes off
Apply all the relevant creams and prep for rowing
1pm – 4pm (row shift)
3 hours rowing
Stop every hour for a drink and a snack
4pm – 7pm (off shift)
Personal admin
Battery and navigation checks
Sleep
6:30pm
Alarm to make soup and coffee for the first night shift
Paul and I chat through the day’s events
7pm – 10pm (row shift)
3 hours rowing
Hourly drink and snack stops
10pm – 1am (off shift)
Personal admin
Sleep as much as possible
1am – 4am (row shift)
Another 3 hours on the oars
4am – 7am (off shift)
Sleep (again, as much as possible)
7am – 10am (row shift)
Final 3-hour stint before it all starts again
And squeezed in around all of that:
making water, cleaning solar panels, washing clothes, fixing anything that breaks, and eating — lots of eating.
🍍 Pineapple Update
Yesterday’s pineapple was absolutely amazing. Pineapple Fridays are officially earning their reputation.
We’re hoping for some star gazing tonight, although the cloud cover doesn’t look very promising. Fingers crossed the sky gives us a break.
Another solid day done. One stroke at a time, we keep moving west.
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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