An Offaly man's tale of the danger and the beauty of rowing across the Atlantic

On March 8, Birr adventurer FIONN O'CARROLL reached the end of his astonishing trans-Atlantic odyssey, arriving safe and well in the South American country of French Guiana. Accompanied by three other adventurers, Fionn spent 54 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes rowing across the Atlantic from Portugal to French Guiana. In the following article he tells us what it was like undergoing this dangerous, beautiful and physically taxing expedition.

The adventure started at the Southern tip of Portugal, in Portimao. After spending almost two weeks preparing the boat and performing safety checks we were ready to go.

At 5.30pm on the evening of January the 13th we stood at the port and shook hands with each other, and wished each other a safe and successful journey.

We departed a few minutes later and rowed into the night, eventually losing sight of the last flicker of light on European land.

We learned early on that we should never trust the weather reports. On the weather applications we used the conditions looked ideal for a number of days to come. The wind was on our backs and the wave direction was favourable. Initially we wanted to break the world record of 48 days and with the favourable conditions there was excitement among the group we would have a good start.

Fast forward four days, 4 meter waves are crashing over the boat from the side. Progress against 45km+ winds was impossible and we could no longer row. Under the direction of our captain we tied everything down on deck in case the boat capsized.

Once everything was secured we took shelter in our cabins, 2 people at either end of the boat. We spent 52 hours in a space about double the size of a coffin.

It was a very long time to spend in such a confined space. Due to the lack of room we could only lie straight on our backs, so after over two days lying like pencils it was a great relief to stand up.

We tried to remain positive and myself and fellow Irish rower Ciaran Kavanagh joked that we were like a twix in a washing machine as the waves crashed off the side of the boat. Luckily we didn't capsize and the bad weather passed. However more eventful occurrences were not far away.

With the impact of the waves our spare Epirb device was triggered (this is an sos satellite device that automatically sends a distress message to the coastguard in an emergency).

The device was stored in our cabin so we did not see the emergency flashing light and we did not know that it had been triggered. So while we continued to row, the Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese coastguards were coordinating a rescue for us with a 300 metre cargo ship that was four hours from our position.

When we saw the massive ship approaching directly on our course we quickly radioed to ask if they could see us. A collision between an 8 metre long rowing boat and a 300 metre long cargo ship would not end well and neither vessel could change course very quickly. So when we saw a huge ship directly on our course it was worrying. They informed us that our Epirb device had been triggered and the coastguard had alerted them of our position for a rescue. We apologised over the radio and informed them that no assistance or rescue was required.

Despite the fact it probably cost the huge ship close to 300,000 Euros on fuel to divert its position by 4 hours, their Captain was very understanding of our situation and wished us well on our expedition.

The next few days were without major incidents and progress was good as we headed south west about 300miles from the African coast.

The four of us rowed in pairs 24/7 with two hours rowing two hours rest. It was a relentless schedule and after 10 days it started to take a physical toll on all of us. Our hands were heavily blistered and we all had muscular pain and back aches.

Ciaran was very sea sick and spent a lot of the time getting sick over the side. Mentally we were prepared for this and we were well briefed by out experienced Captain who told us the most difficult part of any ocean row is the first two weeks, as our bodies adjust to the rowing schedule and sleep deprivation.

With the bad weather and high cloud coverage over the first few days of the expedition our solar panels did not get enough charge. These were important as they powered everything; our steering equipment, navigational equipment and communication devices. So despite the wishes of the team we had to make the decision to stop and charge our batteries in the Canary Islands. We had agreed prior to departing that the expedition be done in a pure fashion without stopping so this was a disheartening blow to the team but we tried to keep our spirits high. There are much bigger problems in the world!

Upon leaving the Canary Islands the weather became more consistent. We caught the trade winds that blow westerly across the Atlantic around 18 days into the expedition. This meant the wind provided us with some assistance which made the rowing a little easier. The body aches, muscular pain, sea sickness dissipated and the bodies adapted to the two hour rowing shifts.

We all started to enjoy being out on the ocean and sea life didn't seem all that bad. No media, no communication with the outside world, no WiFi, no television and nowhere to go except in and out of our rowing seats. Instead we played games to pass the time. We talked about life, death, the universe, space, god, dreams and other absurdities. Surrounded by thousands of miles of blue ocean and blue sky brought a level of solitude that is inaccessible in our normal lives.

At night we watched shooting stars dart across the sky, while the moon and the reflection of planets lit up the ocean. Interestingly, we could see the planets Jupiter and Venus, one directly above the other. We didn't know at the time, but when we arrived back on land we found out that it was a phenomenon where the planets allign with one another. Something that only happens once every 13 months.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the trip was a visit from a pod of about 30 dolphins. At sunrise, for three days in a row they came to play beside our boat. They would circle our boat and jump out of the water. It was incredible to see such beautiful animals in their natural unspoilt environment. Other visitors included squid, and flying fish who often let us know of their presence by flying straight into our faces and then flopping around the deck.

Three or four times we had birds land on our boat. With winter approaching in South America they often try to migrate across the Atlantic towards Africa in search for a warmer climate. But the weaker ones sometimes don't make it and become exhausted so we were happy to give it a taxi for about 12 hours. I couldn't contain my laughter when the bird excreted all over the Captain's leg, but despite this we set a little nest for him at the back and tried to give it water and snacks before, like us, it continued its transatlantic journey. Little incidents like this gave us a great morale boost.

We definitely went through some difficult times. We all had sore hands from rowing for 12 hours per day but perhaps the most serious medical issue I had was infected pressure sores and open cuts on my backside. This was a result of sitting in a concentrated position for 12 hours a day for 33 days in a row. Sitting down and standing up became extremely painful and for five days, after every shift I had to wipe the blood off, that was dripping down the back of my upper legs. It was by far the lowest point of the expedition and the only period I really questioned if the challenge was really worth it.

After 54 days we eventually saw one faint glow of a light. We knew it was the lights of South America and the feeling was indescribable. It had been weeks since we saw land. And we knew a bed, a shower, and fresh food was not far away. We yearned to see the colours of land, to smell something other than the scent of the sea and most of all to see and interact with other humans again.

At 3.30am on March 8 we arrived at the mouth of the Kourou river, which marked the end of the Atlantic ocean. There, we were greeted by a local fisherman who had heard of our arrival via radio communications. He gave us a warm welcome to Kourou, South America by lighting up the night sky with fireworks from the back of his boat. None of the team could wipe the smile off our faces and it was surreal that the end of the journey had come.

We stuck together and rowed day and night with each other. We kept each other strong when our bodies were weak and together we realized our wildest dream of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

All the hardships, physical pain, struggles, and setbacks now seem irrelevant and all that is left is a deep gratitude for an incredible once in a lifetime experience.