Thursday 1st January 2026 – New Year’s Day
- dawnysmiff
- Jan 1
- 2 min read
(Covering the last 24 hours)
Happy New Year to everyone reading this — we hope you had a great New Year’s Eve and are looking forward to what 2026 has in store.
Unfortunately, New Year’s Day out here hasn’t brought us anything particularly kind.
🌊 From Slog… to Slog with Extras
Conditions have gone from a straight slog to a slog with a beam wave thrown in for good measure. The constant sideways roll makes it incredibly hard to get any rhythm, and it’s pretty demoralising pulling as hard as you can only to see the speed hovering barely around 2 knots on the monitor.
You know you’re working. Your body knows it. The numbers just don’t reflect it.
🐬 A Bright Night & Familiar Visitors
The night itself was bright and calm, and just when morale needed a lift, we were joined once again by dolphins. They swam off the starboard side, surfacing close enough that I stopped rowing for a few minutes just to listen to their breathing as they broke the surface.
In moments like that, the hard work fades away — at least briefly.
🧭 Awkward Water
Right now, it feels like we’re sitting in a very awkward patch of ocean where the wind (which has picked up slightly), waves, and current are all going in different directions. That combination is actually harder than the completely flat, no-wind conditions we’ve been dealing with over the last week or so.
It’s tiring, frustrating, and mentally draining — but it’s all part of the game.
So, it’s back to the grind, head down, oars moving, and quietly praying for better conditions ahead.
Here’s hoping the ocean decides to be a little kinder as the year goes on.
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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🌐 Or visit the website: www.rowaurora.co.uk
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