Tuesday 16th December – 10am (Covering the last 24 hours)
- dawnysmiff
- Dec 16, 2025
- 2 min read
Tuesday 16th December – 10am
(Covering the last 24 hours)
You would be forgiven for looking at the tracker and thinking all the boats are waving at each other — we appear so close together. The reality couldn’t
be more different.
On the first night we could see the odd navigation light or two, faint pinpricks in the darkness. Last night there was just one set of lights on the horizon. And now… nothing. No boats. No land. Nothing but ocean.
The first night we could still see the lights of La Gomera glowing behind us. By morning, they were gone. Completely. We are now around 120 nautical miles into our epic adventure, surrounded on all sides by a perfect, unbroken horizon. It’s a strange and wonderful feeling — isolating, calming, and incredibly freeing all at once.
The night sky put on another spectacular show. Countless stars, crystal clear, with shooting stars streaking overhead. You can clearly make out the constellations — Orion standing proud and the Plough, which for navigators is particularly special as it points the way to the North Star. Even with all our modern technology, it’s comforting to see the same sky that guided sailors centuries ago.
It was a bit of a slog overnight with very little wind, but as our shift patterns become more routine, the hours pass more easily. The body adapts. The mind settles.
At 6pm, I joined Paul on deck. We made a coffee and a soup — a simple luxury that feels almost extravagant out here. I drank my coffee while watching the sun slide into the ocean, chatting with Paul and “talking story”. These are the moments that anchor the day.
My next three-hour shift started at 7pm, with a plan to stop every hour for a sip of soup. Absolute bliss. I think this is a routine that’s here to stay. As we pass through the time zones, the sunset will creep later and later — but I’ll still be making time for a sunset coffee, no matter what the clock says.
We’re settling in now. Finding rhythm. Finding our pace.
Just ocean, sky, and the steady pull of the oars.
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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