Preparing to row the Atlantic

I took a deep breath and cleared my mind from everything around me focussing on getting this right the first attempt; the pressure was on.

“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY;
This is Searanger, Searanger, Searanger… MMSI 23589998 MAYDAY!
My position is fifty one degrees fourteen minutes decimal one five north, nine degrees nine minutes decimal three four west” I took a breath and collected my thoughts before holding down the send key of my ship’s radio again.
“Fire on board vessel, we are sinking, immediate assistance required! Number of persons is two. Preparing to abandon to liferaft, we are a twenty-three foot Atlantic Rowing boat… Over.
I put the handset down and looked over at Tom…

I’d sent that Mayday late in the afternoon the day before, it was now the morning the liftraft thumped into the water still in its valise making a splash, a sudden jerk on the lanyard and with amazing speed a pop and a loud rushing hiss of gas it fully inflated in less than ten seconds. Holding my right arm across my already inflated lifejacket to stop it riding up and hitting me in the face, my left hand sealed shut my nose as I stepped one pace into the water, the sound of bubbles rushed around my ears and as I surfaced I began to swim towards the inverted liferaft, a second splash behind be confirmed that Tom was now also in the water I glanced around at him to see him surface and as I did so got a face full of water for my troubles. Our lifejackets are equipped with spray covers that will protect our faces and prevent us from drowning from the spray that is driven into them from the wind and the waves. The unfortunate thing about deploying a liferaft is that there is not guarantee they’ll open right side up. Ours hadn’t and now I had to turn it right side up. I swam as hard and fast as I could towards the bright orange vessel that was now all that we would have to keep us alive until help got to us. My clothes felt very heavy and my yellow lifejacket kept trying to turn me onto my back. My jacket pocket filled and I struggled towards the unturned liferaft. As I got to there was a metallic clink as my left hand slapped the metal air canister, thankfully it wasn’t high in the air and ready to brain me as I righted it. I grabbed the wet righting webbing and placed my feet against the side of the raft, time after time deluge after deluge of water hit me in the face and went over my head. I tried to breath and received a mouthful of water making me choke and cough violently, I had to get this raft the right way up and get Tom and me inside it. I slowly pulled on the webbing ladder that was attach to the underside of the raft and began walking myself up the raft two then three steps and suddenly the liferaft flipped upwards towards me and then crashed down on top of me, I felt the water all around me and above me the rubber and neoprene of the bottom of the inflated vessel. I took a second to orientate myself then started crawling face upwards towards the edge of the raft the sound of splashing and bubbles filling my ears. As I surfaced my the entrance of the raft Tom was there, “Go on mate get in” he shouted as water smashed into the side of his face. I was surprised to find how much strength I’d lost already and still weighted down by my water filled clothing I began to climb the entrance ladder my hands slipping on the wet webbing ladder slipped around under the water and stretched into the opening of the raft. Up above was the emergency light flashing brightly. With one last pull I flopped into the liferaft like a giant wet fish being landed in a boat, the water in my pockets emptied into the vessel and I slipped around trying to get to the entrance to help Tom before I realised my mistake. The raft suddenly began to lift behind me as Tom’s weight engaged the webbing ladder, quickly I threw myself backwards to counter the weight and as I did Tom’s jacketed arm punched through the opening as he grabbed the webbing ladder deep inside the centre of the raft his face appeared water gushing off him his mouth open to get a breath of air into his lungs before he finally pushed, pulled and rolled into the raft sliding across the floor. “You alright mate?” I asked him, “Yea, good” he replied a little out of breath. Getting our brains in gear we threw out the drogue, a little parachute that would help keep us stable in the sea; released the line and closed the opening just in time to receive another deluge through the door. Exhausted we lay on either side of the raft. All we would have to survive on was what we had in the raft or bring in a grab bag, some water a little food a sponge to wipe condensation off the inside of the raft with to drink when the rest of the water ran out.
“OK, great job guys, out you get and lets see James and Bertie have a go” I unzipped the raft door and climbed out into the pool.
Tom and I had arrived in Southampton two nights ago ready for a week of courses to prepare us for the Woodvale Challenge Trans-Atlantic rowing race in December. Our first day we had spent learning the techniques and procedures of maritime VHF radio and qualified as licensed operators, that was on the Friday, the weekend then went on to a Sea Survival course where we learnt how to use our safety equipment, liferafts and all about the joys of stagnant water enemas (thankfully there wasn’t a practical for that!) The Sunday saw us going working on emergency first aid, which for me was pretty much revision. On the courses with us were Bertie and James who are crewing another boat in the Woodvale Challenge, we got on very well and soon were helping each other out with everything from learning to throwing buckets full of water at each other whilst performing liferaft drills.
The following week was tough going, we’d enrolled on an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean course, all our course were run by KTY Yachts who train the Volvo round the world crews. Most people who do the Yachtmaster Ocean course have done many years of RYA qualifications competent crew, day skipper, Yachtmaster Coast and finally Yachtmaster Ocean, but true to form we were throwing ourselves in at the deep end. The course teaches how to use a sextant and find your position anywhere on the planet, planning and plotting courses as well as metrology. To say there is a lot to learn is an understatement and by half way through the week the pressure was like being in a steam cooker. Our lecturer Yvonne performed magic though and one by one we struggled with our own difficulties and helped each other overcome theirs. Finally on the Friday we were faced with a two hour exam to test us on all we learnt. I’m pleased to say that we all passed.
Tom and I had been sharing a room along with a Concept 2 rowing machine all week, a typical day would be up and breakfast followed by a drive to KTY then a full day of the most amazing and mind bending scientific and mathematical concepts followed by a drive back to the hotel a quick dinner then one of us would hit the books while the other banged out 13-14Km on the rowing machine, then swap followed by lights out. It was a great week, very hard work, stressful in places (There’s a reason it took hundreds of years to figure it out). So now Tom and I have passed all the courses we need, we’ve found a boat which we are interested in and are on track to making the sponsorship we need to row across the Atlantic Ocean!