“Everyone keeps saying that one of the biggest challenges is getting to the start line and I am beginning to understand why!”

“Everyone keeps saying that one of the biggest challenges is getting to the start line and I am beginning to understand why!”

Jamie shares what he’s been up to during September to prepare to row the Atlantic from 12 December.

“I have to lay out, in a prescribed order, all the equipment that I will take with me on the row.”

I’ve arrived in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, where the boats are built, for a Marine electrics course and pre-shipping inspection by the Atlantic Campaigns Safety Team. I have to lay out, in a prescribed order, all the equipment that I will take with me on the row. The team will ensure that everything is there and that it is in good order with certificates of recent service as required (such as my Life-Raft, First Aid, VHF Radio, Spare Oars and Para-Anchor). All my paperwork must be in order, and I will be asked technical questions to ensure that I have sufficient knowledge for the challenge.

“I have packed nearly 50kg of packs of high energy food into the rowing boat.”

That’s 5,100 Kcals per day for 85 days plus a bit more as a contingency in case the row takes longer. The final solo rower in 2022 came in after 114 days! Although the start of the row is about 3 months away, the boat must be fully loaded ready for shipping by 8 October.

“I expect my crossing of the Atlantic to take about 70 days (+/- 10 days!)”

Now I have to think about my medication. I take Etanercept, which I have recently increased to every 3 weeks from monthly due to issues encountered towards the end of the monthly period, pain in my left shoulder and across my chest, after consultation with my rheumatologist. I expect my crossing of the Atlantic to take about 70 days (+/- 10 days!), so I’ll take 3 pre-filled syringes in a cool bag along with me. I just have to keep the bag damp to allow the cooling to take effect.

I have also passed my medical, I’m glad to say. I was pleased to note that my blood pressure check showed a marked improvement, which I put down to the rigorous exercise regime I’ve been following!

My trainer says, “don’t worry it’s like riding a bike, you won’t forget!”

Now that all the on-water training is complete I’ll concentrate on physical fitness, flexibility, and strength until I fly out to the Canary Islands at the end of November. I was worried that I might forget to row in the intervening months, but my trainer says, “don’t worry it’s like riding a bike, you won’t forget!”

All donations will be split equally between the 2 charities, including NASS.

Donate to Jamie’s fundraising page here.
Read Jamie’s story here.
Visit Jamie’s website here.

Thank you for your support Jamie and we can’t wait to hear how you got on in October.