Wednesday 31st December – New Year’s Eve
- dawnysmiff
- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read
(Covering the last 24 hours)
The last 24 hours have been a total slog, much like the days either side of it. There’s been no wind at all, and every mile has been earned the hard way.
That said, I always try to take the positives. When you stop rowing for a couple of minutes to grab a drink or a snack, the silence is actually quite beautiful. No music. No boat noise. Just the gentle slap of waves against the hull. In those moments, the ocean feels calm and almost kind.
🎆 New Year’s Eve at Sea
It’s New Year’s Eve — the last day of 2025.
It barely feels like a year ago that I was spending last New Year’s Eve on the Atlantic with the incredible women of Team Ocean Empower. That row went on to earn me the world record for the most ocean rows completed by any female, something I still have to stop and remind myself actually happened.
This year has been full of miles, friendships, and moments that only the ocean can deliver. Teams I’ve helped train, expeditions I’ve supported, new friendships formed, and old ones strengthened. The rowing world is a small one, and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of it.
As we head into a new year, I want to wish a Happy New Year to all my friends — old, new, and those yet to come. The journey is always better shared.
📍 A Big Milestone
Yesterday we passed 1,000 nautical miles rowed — a huge milestone, especially given how slow and labour-intensive the rowing has been lately. It’s a proper reminder that even when progress feels painfully slow, it still adds up.
These conditions look set to hang around for another 24 hours, before we hopefully pick up a bit of breeze from the north-east. When that happens, we’ll adjust course a little further south to make the most of it and run with the wind.
The week after still looks a bit patchy, but with teamwork, determination, and friendship, we’ll push through and eventually reach the trade winds… assuming they really do exist!
All for now.
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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