Tuesday 4th August- Day 40
- dawnysmiff
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
A Night to Remember
Yesterday started quietly enough.
The wind was barely a breath for much of the day, and we continued plugging away, making slow but steady progress.
By the evening…
…it was blowing an absolute hoolie.
The sea transformed completely.
Huge waves were rolling in, not only from the direction of the wind but also from the side, making the boat lurch unpredictably as we tried to keep her on course.
Then, in the middle of the night, while Paul was on the oars, everything happened at once.
We suffered a knockdown.
For those who haven’t heard the term before, a knockdown is when a boat is knocked right over onto its side without actually capsizing.
I was thrown around inside the cabin as the boat rolled violently. Water poured in through the cabin air vent, soaking everything around it. Thankfully my sleeping bag has a waterproof outer layer, so provided we get a couple of dry days I should be able to get everything dried out again.
Poor Paul wasn’t so lucky.
He was out on deck and took the full force of it.
He was thrown off his rowing seat, soaked from head to toe…
…and one of the oars snapped.
It was a stark reminder of just how much power the North Atlantic still has.
The one thing that immediately reassured us was seeing that everything else on deck was exactly where it should have been.
Nothing had been lost.
Every piece of equipment was either securely tied on or properly stowed away.
Preparation matters.
Especially on nights like this.
I stuck my head out of the cabin to make sure Paul was alright.
He’d been knocked about and was absolutely drenched, but thankfully he was uninjured.
Without hesitation he grabbed one of our spare oars and set about fitting it while I got to work resetting the autopilot.
The next challenge was getting the boat pointing in the right direction again.
Following the knockdown, we were lying broadside to the wind and waves—the last place you want to be. Left there, every breaking wave increased the risk of another knockdown or, worse still, a capsize.
With an enormous effort on the oars from Paul, and a little less physically demanding but equally important work from me getting the autopilot back online, we gradually forced the bow back into the seas.
Just as things started coming back under control…
The AIS alarm burst into life.
An approaching ship.
Perfect timing!
I immediately grabbed the VHF radio and called them, explaining that we were an ocean rowing boat and, in the prevailing conditions, were restricted in our ability to manoeuvre.
They responded straight away, acknowledged our situation and altered course to starboard to pass safely clear.
A huge thank you to the bridge team on board.
Once everything had been checked, secured and declared safe, we settled back into rowing.
All we could do was keep pulling on the oars…
…and will the sunrise to arrive.
As if one broken oar wasn’t enough, the night wasn’t quite finished with us.
Later on, a second oar broke.
We originally left Canada carrying six oars, so we’re now down to four—two complete sets.
Because we normally row one at a time, and the forecast suggests these conditions should ease and not return before we reach land, we’re not overly concerned.
We also carry a repair kit, so once the weather settles we’ll have a go at repairing the broken ones.
Nothing to lose.
As I write this at 9am, the sun is finally up.
One unexpected bonus…
The deck is absolutely spotless after the Atlantic gave it a very thorough pressure wash overnight!
It’s still extremely windy, but everything always feels more manageable once daylight arrives and you can actually see what’s coming towards you instead of just hearing it.
The forecast suggests the wind will gradually ease and back round during the day, allowing us to start making more easterly progress once again.
Hopefully…
This was the Atlantic’s final reminder not to take her for granted.
Now it’s time for the final push towards the south coast.
Dawn
“Together Paul and I are rowing home — the long way round.”
Hometown Row
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