Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!

We bring you another update from Stein Hoff during his cross-Atlantic row.

This row is certainly about highs and lows. I had a scary incident already on May 16th, the 2nd day at sea, but what happened on Day 26, last Thursday 9th June, is the worst so far.

It was very windy and rough all day, but sunny, and we were making great mileage just drifting. I got caught unawares. As the wind piped up at sunset, a huge breaker knocked us down from port side. I was holding the sat phone with one hand reading a text that just ticked in and had just added boiling water and an egg to a dehydrated meal. Suddenly, I’m thrown over to starboard and see water halfway across the hatch and squirting in. Also entering around the compass and from the top ventilator. Got the hatch and ventilator properly shut while feeling as if I were in a shower, and then threw myself to the other side waiting for the boat to get up. That seemed to take so long! But eventually, the hatch rose over the water.

I got out and leaned far over to port as the boat slowly rose further. Two buckets of water now outside the boat and all that water caught inside the gunnel held her because no large amounts had got into any of the five the storage compartments below starboard deck. Then I got out the sea anchor (SA) as quickly as I could and after about 15 min, Fox II finally had her nose facing the gale, and I knew we were reasonably safe. And I was soaked, cold and frightened! All my clothes except two woolen long-johns and the survival suit were soaked, all my bedding also badly affected. The suit took awhile to get on but soon stopped my shivering. Hours of sorting, cleaning, rinsing followed, draining water from the battery hold below the bunk, etc. Self-reproach, worries. Never thought to give up, though! Next 2 days were spent lying to the SA. Saturday became sunny, made lots of water, cleaned the entire cabin inside, rinsed and dried as many clothes as possible. Cut off bottom and top of the mattress and helped by plastic and canvas have a reasonable bed again. And bits of pasta is no longer falling off the ceiling!

I have made some expensive lessons, have learned to show more respect for nature in these treacherous waters and have gained an even higher admiration for Harbo & Samuelsen’s incredible voyage. No wonder Ripley was impressed! Optimistic greetings from Stein, the slow, lone Atlantic rower at 40 58 N, 061 23 W, about 600 n miles from the start on day 31.

Source: The Water’s Rough, But He’ll Keep Rowing