DAY 2 BLOG – MARK JENKINS ON THE FIRST 24 HOURS AT SEA

The experience of finally getting under way was amazing. To have the support of our families and friends who had made the journey out here was great, and this just added to massive support that we felt with so many calls, emails and every kind of positive message you could imagine.

To experience the once in a lifetime feeling of embarking on something like this is really special, but the supporters’ boats and film helicopter are quickly becoming a distant memory and it won’t be long before we won’t see another crew until the finish line. In many ways though it is just a relief to be under way. Now that the tensions of last minute preparation have passed we can focus on the task in hand.

We are keen to show our intent, but all of us in the fleet are off to a challenging start as there is a decent headwind against us. The wind is strong enough that if you don’t row you will go backwards! We have made a course adjustment to find better weather so don’t be deceived by our drop in position within the fleet. There is a plan!

The conditions are quite rough and we are still adjusting to rolling around in the waves, but all the crew are in good shape and there is no seasickness. The night-shift is undoubtedly the least favourite aspect of life on board for now. Our two three hour shifts from mid-night to 3am and 3am to 6am are tough. The starry night has been a good compensation though, it is a real highlight.

The first night did provide a few of those “what the hell am I doing this for?” moments, but overall we are enjoying being out here. It’s not as miserable as people would have you believe and we are getting into the routine quite quickly. Other adjustments are proving even more seamless and we have managed to transition into naked mode very quickly indeed. The highest bidder may be able to persuade us to do a Christmas calendar…

For now we just have to take it one shift at a time. We have a long way to go to complete our mission!