Saturday 3rd January – Day 19

(Covering the last 24 hours)

I’m going to start with the good, put the bad in the middle, and finish on good again — because today really deserves that structure.

🌊 An Ocean Swim (The Good)

Yesterday I got in the water to clean the hull, and honestly, it felt so good. The instant relief of cooling down and being able to move my body in a completely different way was incredible.

The very first thing you do when you enter the water is stop and look around properly under the surface, goggles on, taking in your surroundings. I spotted a couple of small fish, but nothing of concern. What really strikes you is the depth — there’s no bottom, no reference point, just sunbeams fading into blue. It’s quite surreal knowing the water beneath you is around 4.5km deep in that spot.

It’s amazing how quickly growth builds up. Even since Paul cleaned the bottom recently, the gooseneck barnacles were already making a return. Left unchecked, they grow long and add huge drag.

It’s also vital to clean the watermaker intake. Barnacles can form inside the inlet, restricting water flow and potentially causing an airlock if the watermaker draws faster than the intake can supply. It’s one of those small things that can turn into a big problem if ignored.

🧗‍♀️ Getting Back On Board

Once the cleaning was done, it was time to get back on board — which is far harder than you’d think.

Being in the water is tiring in a completely different way. The breath-holding, diving below the surface, awkward movements — it wears you out quickly. It really makes you pause and think how difficult a man overboard recovery would be at night, in big seas. This was a flat calm day.

Thankfully, we’ve practised reboarding as part of our drills. It wasn’t elegant, but I got back on board safely. That ocean swim genuinely set me up for the rest of the day.

🌕 Then Came the Night (The Bad)

Night fell with the moon still nearly full, making it as bright as the night before. We even filmed a silly werewolf video for a bit of fun — and it’s worth saying that all our fun videos are completely genuine. We really do belly laugh together when we’re on deck. It’s how we keep spirits up.

But once Paul went to sleep and I was out there alone, the conditions turned against us again.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing dangerous. In fact, it was mostly flat — just an irritating side wave now and then. But the light winds had shifted onto the nose, and no matter how hard I pulled, I could not get the boat above 1.5 knots. Any pause for water sent us straight back to zero, or even backwards.

By the end of the three-hour shift, everything hurt — wrists, hands, back… all of it. Morale took a real knock when one of my earbuds fell out into the scupper, but I managed to grab it just in time, dry it out, and save it from becoming another Atlantic offering.

Those conditions lasted all night and have genuinely taken their toll on both of us.

🌬️ A Turn for the Better (The Good Again)

Then, at around 9am this morning, something magical happened.

I watched the wind vane slowly veer, moving around the starboard side… and eventually settling directly behind us.

The wind is only light — maybe 10 knots — but it’s following. And that makes all the difference. We can now push the boat speed above 2 knots. It still takes effort, but seeing results from that effort is a massive mental boost.

The wind shift has brought rain, which would normally be bad news — but honestly, right now it could snow and we’d be happy. The conditions are finally working with us, not against us.

Right — it’s mac and cheese for breakfast today. Proper comfort food for a hard-earned reset.

Onwards.

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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