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growing the Drake is the farthest you
can aim in the ocean roaming world the
Drake Passage is known in the world of
seafaring as one of the most dangerous
if not the most dangerous waterway in
the entire world
two years my life where I've been
planning for this the night before we
left there was definite fear when we set
out onto the water
I felt the butterflies in my stomach
so many things could have gone wrong so
easy to have failed in so many different
ways but we made it to become the first
people ever to complete a fully human
powered row Crosse Drake Passage we just
wrote an article well you can't be
anything cooler than that
storm is a very humbling experience
and she realize just so small in this
huge ocean they are so powerful and
nothing will go through your head apart
from where you're gonna put at all you
will never live more in the present
under now than beingness dawn
the wind was too strong for us to row
any farther forward so when that happens
you ride out the storm and then you keep
rowing when it's done that bow cabin was
it was cramped it's very cozy in here as
a result of that and we decided to do
hour and a half shifts on the deck the
waves kept crashing down on me over the
bow and stoking everything that I had
on deck just watching that kind of crazy
ocean swells it's an experience in
itself
I had never experienced something like
that before
and I felt really scared
yeah it's tough I know guys mental
batteries are drained it might not be
obvious but most of all by the humidity
you know being in 100% humidity means
that once something got wet we'll never
get it dry they're constantly wet things
and that's really lowering down the
comforts for most of people who's kind
of unbearable the cabin it got pretty
gross back there everything was wet
there random things mixing together
body odor mixed with sweat mixed with
salt water mixed with you know spilled
freeze-dried when you're right
given there's current conditions for for
so long you just get accustomed to the
smell and told there's a really bad
smell the bathroom bucket was just next
to our bow cabin and sometimes when
someone just gone to the bathroom they
could get a bit of a kind of a smoke
ring in and that I would like just
hotbox the air about heaven if the
viewers in the future have a chance to
press the button transmit fragrance
don't do it that's how bad it smells
I had done a ton of physical training to
be ready and had underestimated the
amount of mental mental training that
was needed also to get through this
there's just no way to wrap your mind
around it and to feel it the intensity
of actually feeling those waves feeling
that cold ocean splash across my face
definitely starting to feel some wear
and tear on the body wrist joint
circulant sore got sores all over your
source in your bum
you've got sores in your hands I've
really bad sore some ankles where I went
right through the skin absolute agony
actually every every time touched it
Palmer's both continuous 90 minutes on
90 minutes off Bursa
eventually catches up to your body a
sleep deprivation
there was times when I kind of felt in a
daze and somewhat of a lucid dream but
kind of almost not off for a second
realize you know I got to keep going I
got to keep pushing there was one period
where I where I was definitely at a low
throwing up over the side of the boat
and trying to continue rowing which was
which was tough
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there were a couple of like low points
but actually really enjoyed the whole
the whole trip
and they'll never forget it's a cruise
ship came by
we had like you know an audience
suddenly have like 250 people
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how that for me was something naked in
the Drake Passage
it's hard to forget something like that
it's like four degrees Celsius and he
just jumps in the water I think my
favorite moment of the row was crossing
the 60th parallel it just felt like a
really special moment something I don't
think I'll ever forget
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beautiful during calm seas it was
possible to really relax and enjoy
ourselves there were long stretches
entire days where we were able to get
into a really great swing
rowing you talk about swing when all
rowers are entering and exiting the
water at very close to the same time so
that you actually feel yourselves
working together and you feel the power
of the team transcending the sum of its
parts those moments were euphoric highs
it was a pretty beautiful thing to come
together like that for 12 days and
really take care of each other
we came together performance a
phenomenal team it was like having a
band of brothers
kind of getting closer and closer to an
article you're just kind of praying for
like to seal and it was very foggy so we
only actually soul and about a few
kilometers from from actual land
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after being out at sea for so many days
not seeing anything but you know the
endless sea the pristine beauty of
Antarctica the icebergs the penguins the
whales on Christmas morning I mean what
other place can you experience nature up
close in such a visceral way it was
absolutely astonishing and that is joy
that will stick with me forever
that's a funny feeling being back in dry
land
after 12 days actually growing hay like
we couldn't even stand up straight
guys drunk
super freaky right each one of my
expeditions I think to myself I do
something that I've never done before
what I'm really trying to do is unlock
that and any person out there my hope is
to spread that inspiration and
positivity all around the world that
they're gonna go out in their own lives
and take on the impossible for
themselves
because I have a following why you would
like to recite those my own okay the
great C moves me it keeps me adrift it
moves me like algae on stones in running
brook water vault of heaven moves me
mighty weather storms through my soul it
carries me with it trembling with joy
I think our success in making the
impossible row possible has a lot to do
with each individual's contribution to
the team I would happily undertake
almost any challenge with any member of
our crew again
[Applause]
that's a wrap