IMAGINE being thrown in to the middle of the frigid Atlantic seas from your boat, not once, but twice. Imagine not being able to tell anyone how you are feeling after it. Imagine only intermittent access to regular drinking water, and to get it, you need to pump your right arm for 10 minutes to get a cupful. Imagine eating freeze dried food that tastes, questionably bland at best. And top all that off with very, very limited access to power to keep instruments, phones and lights working. It sounds almost third-world-like, but in fact it is the life of an Atlantic solo rower,
one that hails from Limerick and is battling the elements of both nature and the sea to raise valued funds for charities located thousands of miles from his home.
Sean McGowan entered the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Challenge and has been beset by incident. Last Friday he was thrown from the boat when a 60ft rogue wave caught him unawares – he was however, tied on by his lifeline and got back in to the boat shortly after.
“This place is filled with both beauty and terror. It’s very tough and I had some goals set at the start of the race, but now, they have changed and I just want to get to the finish line.”
That was according to Sean when he spoke to this reporter via satellite phone this Tuesday. He went on to tell of the solitude that he faced every day and when he got to row, it was good, but he was facing repairs on a constant basis.
The link was lost mid conversation as Sean’s other problem with the solar panels kicked in.
Any messages that did come through from the Shannon RC rower detail the struggles that he faces. However, Sean is resilient and is taking every day as it comes.
Lorraine McGowan, sitting at home tending to emails and the phone as she waits for her daily updates from ‘Tess’, the rowing boat that Sean is quite literally, attached to.
“From my point of view, as long as he can call and let me know he’s OK, then I’m happy. His graduation was this week in UL – an MBA – so myself and Rachael (our daughter) went along.”
Lorraine went on to say that Mick Dolan has organised a charity night for the end of the month and is going to halve the donations between the Soweto and Haiti causes.
But the incidents that Sean has endured to date are never far from her mind.
“He {Sean} got chucked out of the boat the first Friday when a wave hit him from the side. It turned the boat and he flipped out, two oars got smashed and the gate (holds the rowing oar) was broken. He was wearing his harness at the time so he wasn’t disassociated from the boat-which is the biggest threat-he was able to climb back in and recover, assess the damage etc. I don’t think he’ll ever be without that harness again!”
Sean’s progress, while hampered, has still been impressive as he rows hard when the going is good. It’s like he is personally making up for the time spent repairing the boat, fixing issues while at anchor, eating and, oh yes, sleeping. The latter being something that Sean doesn’t get very much of.
In a seven day stretch, Sean rowed 217 nautical miles in the Atlantic, an average of 31 miles a day – the race average for the oarsmen around him vary from 27 to 36 so he is certainly keeping pace and all while in the company of a “very big grey whale” according to Sean.
All of this, while Lorraine added: “It’s amazing how little things can make the world seem a better place. He is conscious of using power so he has everything turned off. Even the AIS which tells you if ships are within a couple of miles radius. So he turns it on for few minutes every hour to check – doesn’t bode well for a good nights sleep.”
As Sean’s battle continues, the well wishes from home keep coming in, even from past participants in the race and none more worthy than the following message posted on to Sean’s Facebook page following a live update detailing repairs he had just carried out while drifting at sea.
“Keep plugging away Sean, you’re doing great, just keep breaking each day down into smaller parts and you WILL eat up the miles. When times are tough out there, don’t forget the incredible drive you have shown to make it to this race is the same drive that will get you across this ocean,” – Paul Gleeson and Tori Holmes.
The Lyons clan, regular posters to the race website advise Sean to get some sleep as he keeps up the pace.
Dan O’Donnell thinks Sean’s efforts are “inspirational”, while well wishes from Florida are often seen,
“Keep er’ goin!” and notes from the Wednesday Club to say that it’s “Jolly fine boating weather” and for the Limerick oarsman to “Pull Hard”.
You too can post you messages to the Woodvale Atlantic Race website and track Sean’s progress on www.limerickpost.ie and www.atlantic09.com.
