I Am a Fan! Not Today Blog 31

Earlier this year I signed up for the biggest challenge of my life. The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. In 2023 I will row 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve had the privilege of talking to a few of the legends who have rowed an ocean or are planning to do so, and oh my god, I’m a fan.

18 Strokes a Minute

The first ocean rower I spoke to was Charlie Medwin. He had successfully rowed across the Atlantic in 2019. Up until this point, I had only seen documentaries and read blog posts about this crazy adventure. I met Charlie through Harkster, a start-up he and his friends are building. Harkster is a platform that offers templates for business reports, broken down to the most important information. I use it to create short and concise project updates for my colleagues.

I was nervous to talk to him in person. The guy rowed an ocean! Charlie gave me loads of advice on training and fundraising. He told me that if he were to do it again, he would put a lot more time into strength training. He would limit his training sessions on the rowing erg to 18 strokes per minute, as this was the closest to what you would do out at sea. I also learned that the training camp with Rannoch was the best money he and his teammates had spent.

The Pitch

Participating in a race across the Atlantic requires money. Boat, equipment, licences, flights, insurance – one can easily expect costs of 100,000 EUR. Besides that, my team Not Today is trying to raise another 100,000 EUR for charity. With that money, we want to help renovate schools in Indonesia and raise awareness about plastic pollution.

In a meeting organised by Atlantic Campaigns, Laura Try, also a finisher in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, explained to us how social media can be a powerful tool to find sponsors and donors for our campaign. An hour-long meeting with 17 other future ocean rowers felt like a rush. I couldn’t believe the fact that all these people were as crazy as me to take on a challenge like this.

The support between the teams is real. Our fellow TWAC 2023 participants The Noarsmen were on a Teams call with us. Again, helpful insights and ideas were exchanged. They took away some of my nervousness about the whole adventure when they told me that they both had as little rowing experience as I did. Haha! (I just found out what the term ‘sculling’ means… It’s tragic)

Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed. Quit evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.

Epictetus

Why Not Today

I have become a big fan of every person who takes on a challenge. No matter how big or small. Whether they will succeed or not.

Why not take on a challenge today? A little one. An ice-cold shower? A 10K run? Speak out on a topic?

Today is the day.

D