The Team are nearly Back Together 🚣‍♀️🇨🇦

dawnysmiff
Jun 20
2 min read

The adventure is gathering pace!

After an absolutely epic road trip, Paul and Scott arrived safely at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club on Thursday. They left Fernandina Beach at 4:30am on Monday morning, spending four long days towing Penny B north through the United States and Canada to get her to the start line.

Having done plenty of long journeys myself, I know how tiring they can be, but this one was on another level. Thousands of miles, multiple states and provinces, border crossings, fuel stops, food stops and plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. Thankfully, Penny B arrived safely and is now sitting patiently waiting for her next ocean adventure.

One story from the journey really touched me.

At one of their lunch stops, a group of people approached Paul and Scott after spotting the name Aurora on the side of the boat. They explained that they were members of a gymnastics club and had very recently lost a young member of their club.

Her name was Aurora.

They told Paul and Scott they believed seeing the boat was her way of reminding them she was still with them.

Whether you believe in signs or not, there are moments in life that stop you in your tracks. This was one of them. Our thoughts are very much with Aurora’s family, friends and teammates.

As I write this update, I am currently somewhere over the Atlantic on a 5½-hour flight to St John’s. By the time many of you read this, I’ll hopefully be reunited with both Penny B and Paul.

I’m incredibly excited.

After months of planning, route changes, logistics, training, weather discussions and preparation, it feels amazing to finally be heading back towards the boat and the start line.

A huge thank you must go to Scott for using his truck for this enormous road trip. Without people willing to step up and help, adventures like this simply don’t happen. It has been a massive commitment of both time and effort, and we are incredibly grateful.

Once I arrive, it will be straight into boat preparation mode.

Every inch of Penny B will be checked. Every piece of equipment will be tested. Food will be packed, systems will be checked, weather will be analysed, and countless final jobs will be completed before we even think about leaving the dock.

There is still plenty to do, but that’s all part of the process.

For now, I’m looking forward to seeing Penny B again, catching up with Paul, and getting stuck into the preparations.

The countdown continues.

Only a few days to go until we hope to get this show on the road.

Dawn

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

Hometown Row

Leg 1 – La Gomera to Antigua