About 5 years ago, when I was in high school, my grandparents came to visit.  They started telling us a story of one of their neighbors daughters who was competing in the Woodvale Challenge Atlantic Rowing Race. As a rower myself who would get annoyed during practice by the disturbance  from the wake of a motor boat, the idea of being in the vast ocean surrounded by waves that could tower over you and in a boat barely even inches thick, completely blew my mind.  Not only that, my grandma showed me where you could watch the progress online as the boats slowly crossed the 2,550 nautical miles from La Gomera to Antigua, often been blown backwards by unfavorable winds, currents, or storms.  (1 nautical mile = 1.150779 miles)  In that moment, as I looked at the colorful dots that represented the different boats, I new that someday I will be one of them.

Someday that'll be me

“Ocean Rowing is more about strength of mind than strength of muscle, and that perseverance mattered more than size.”  -Roz Savage, Solo Crossing, 2005