The final chapter in an epic tale and to reflect the journey as a whole, it doesn’t end without a challenge; How 2 fried satellite phones and a misplaced finishing procedure hand out nearly meant I ‘missed’ the island of Antigua
Day 63 : 50 miles from Antigua; No personal diary made in 48 hours; Risking losing all my video diaries; 14% battery life and a dead charging cable finally; Loving the experience but ready for Antigua.
Closing: The reason behind not making a daily diary video on 62; Notes from 62; Did I speed up at the end?; The official waypoint from Atlantic campaigns is on land on my GPS?; First visual of Antigua was the light pollution around 35nm out and the first visual of land @20nm; “Is this island getting any closer???”; The terrifying sight of a long sea wall and waves crashing up its face as I approached from the West; A plan to stay safe and not risk the success of the expedition I have worked so hard to accomplish; A plan that nearly ends up with me ‘missing’ the island; Thankfully ABSAR got a visual on me; Turning due North and putting the hammer down for 20 hard minutes; Safety!; Manny & Gemma welcoming me to Antigua and guiding me home, plus a flotilla of local crafts; The confusion of not feeling like celebrating; Giving myself a moment to action my intuition; Accepting a flare from Manny and letting the emotion out; Officially crossed the Atlantic but you’ve still got another 15 minutes rowing to get the end; dodging super yachts; A pocket of green catches my eye as I scan the waiting crowd; Nearly falling back into the water after jumping off the boat; Dad to the rescue with a tissue and hug; Just wanting to get to my family; Hugs and tears; Words from my Mother; Beautiful moments with friends and family; Feeling like a circus monkey; The easy transition back to ‘normal’ life; The tradition of a cheese burger, fries and a beer, plus a fresh coconut from Ted Martin; Land legs and a ready family; “Surely it can’t be that simple Doc?”; Not being able to use a knife and fork for about 1 week with my fingers; 4 months until they were normal; The week in Antigua spent with family and friends completing and fulfilling the project; Remember: Anyone can row an ocean.
Videos:
Day 63 : https://youtu.be/a3445oTG_P0
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DamianBrowne
With gratitude,
Damian