Tuesday 23rd December
- dawnysmiff
- Dec 23, 2025
- 2 min read
(Covering the last 24 hours)
The past 24 hours have been good. Not as fast as that cracking day we had last week when we were riding the current, but steady and honest miles — and we seem to be holding our own with the boats around us, which we’re really happy with.
We’ve rowed 59 nautical miles in the last 24 hours, averaging 2.5 knots. That might not sound fast to someone on land, but when you remember that most of the time only one of us is rowing, and that we’re hauling absolutely everything through the water ourselves, it feels like solid progress.
The night brought patches of rain, which isn’t great for keeping warm, but rain clouds usually come with helpful gusts of wind, and those little pushes always lift the spirits.
☕ Evening Routine & Laughter
As usual, we spent 6:30–7:30pm on deck together. I made coffee for our evening chat and soup ready for the coming shift. It’s a simple routine, but it’s become an important part of the day — a pause, a reset, and a chance to talk through how things are going.
We do laugh a lot when we get going. Proper belly laughs.
We also filmed a couple of videos — including another round of our nightly “Would You Rather” game. I’ll let you watch that one on social media to find out the question… 😄
🐟 Signs We’re Getting Closer
We’ve noticed an increase in two very clear signs that we’re getting closer to land:
flying fish and sargassum seaweed.
The flying fish are fascinating to watch. They burst out of the water, spread their wing-like fins, and skim along the surface like tiny silver paper aeroplanes, catching the air just long enough to escape whatever’s chasing them below. It’s brilliant to watch — although as their numbers increase, it’s not unusual for them to land on the boat, or even — yes — hit you in the face mid-row!
The seaweed is sargassum, a floating brown algae that forms vast mats across parts of the Atlantic. A few years ago, it was particularly bad — patches as big as football pitches, dense enough to stop the boat in its tracks. It’s an entire floating ecosystem, home to small fish and creatures, but it can be frustrating when you’re trying to make miles west.
For now, it’s manageable just the odd small bit of weed— just another reminder of where we are.
Right, I’m off to make pulled pork for breakfast — because ocean rowing has very few rules about what counts as a morning meal.
Until tomorrow,
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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