Crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat

"It may be a bit more extreme than golf or soccer, but this is our hobby," says Emil Eide Eriksen (27). The journey from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean starts on December 4 – in a rowing boat.

Eriksen and his buddy Trond Bratland Erichsen, both from Nordland County, have planned to cross the Atlantic together in a rowing boat.

"It’s about the adventure, and about challenging yourself and nature," says Eriksen. The most crucial part comes when we’re 60 days into it, and still rowing, but have to convince ourselves that we can make it."

The journey starts at La Gomera on the Canary Islands, and from there they will travel the 5,000 kilometers to Barbados in the Caribbean. The trip is expected to take them 70 days, and the distance is about the same as rowing along Norway’s coast twice.

"We will alternate every other hour," Eriksen says. The two adventurers have been planning the trip for the past two years. What started out as research has in the past year become really intensive work and training, especially after the boat arrived from England last November.

"We have spent a lot of time trying to make it stronger, build it the way we want it, and make sure it’s equipped with everything we need." The boat, named "Njord," is made of veneer and epoxy, and should already be pretty solid. It has seven bulkheads, so if one of them starts taking in water, they can easily close it off to keep the boat floating.

The boat has also been decorated by the team "Sons of Norway," with the Norwegian flag and their own logo. The budget for the project is NOK 900,000, and they have worked with the

Their biggest indulgence on the trip will be on Christmas Eve, when they will celebrate with "fenalår" – a slow-cured lamb’s leg – and chocolate. The menu for the rest of the trip will be rather humble, and mostly consist of mashed potatoes, nuts and dried meat.

The duo will bring a satellite phone with them, so that they can keep in touch with people at home, and send out messages that will be published on their website. The site also has a GPS-tracker, which enables people to see where they are at all times.

(NRK)

Julie Ryland

Saturday, 26 November 2011 08:21