THE CROSSING: CONQUERING THE ATLANTIC IN THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST ROWING RACE
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 1843545128
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
A Walk in the Clouds: 50 Years Among the Mountains
Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica
Godforsaken Sea: The True Story of a Race Through the World's Most Dangerous Waters
Mastering Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry: The Next Steps in Painting With Fire
Gold of the Gods (Mission: Survival)
experience. Gearoid had competed at the Sydney and Athens Olympics so naturally anything different about their boat caused a stink. Shit had already hit the fan before we got to La Gomera concerning the size of their rudder (and a couple of others in the race), which was not only smaller but made of different material; in the end, the organizers allowed the smaller rudders. Not everybody was happy but with people spending over �70,000 just to get to the start line, it wasn’t feasible to tell them
of Thunder, where Robert Duvall unveils the gleaming car covered in new sponsors’ stickers and an amazing paint job for Tom Cruise to race in and against the odds (surprisingly) win the Indy 500 and get the girl. Our unveiling was not quite as spectacular; after its hasty reconstruction the boat was ugly and efficient rather than aesthetically jaw-dropping. Even after the stickers were on I had to remove an angle-grinder, a jigsaw, a belt-sander and countless other tools from the cabin before we
better, but I couldn’t fault his commitment. He would have got up two hours later and tried to battle through but it would have slowed his recovery. If he was going to get through the day tomorrow, he needed to rest and recover tonight. ‘No, you rest, I’ll row for three or four hours then wake you up for a short shift if you really feel like it. It’s important you refuel now,’ I responded. ‘Honestly, I feel OK now.’ ‘No, Ben. Look, you think I’m pushing us too hard during the day. I promised
nodded. Then I had a thought. ‘It’s been slowing down for a few days now. Maybe it’s something as simple as a blockage in the inlet pipe? It’s got to be worth a look,’ I suggested, desperately hoping that was the case and that we could avoid taking the machine apart. I jumped into the water and felt around the surface of the hull for the machine’s water inlet. I found it but despite sacrificing a toothbrush to get right up into the pipe, there didn’t seem to be anything blocking it. As ever,
as they slipped out of position, the pain returned. With the failure of my ‘doughnuts’ there was one option left. Every boat had a comprehensive first-aid kit ranging from plasters and bandages through to a variety of antibiotics and painkillers. I’ve always tried to avoid taking painkillers when I’ve had an injury. There’s a danger that they might mask the pain to such a degree that I will push myself too hard and make the injury worse. The only time that I considered it acceptable was if I
