Rowing on dry land

I applied to be a crew member but didn’t make the cut. It was disappointing, but it was the right decision. This blog post is about why I applied, and the reason I want to be involved with the Indian Ocean Row.

Whilst bored one day, browsing the internet for inspiration, I came across a post looking for a team mate to row across the Indian Ocean. It immediately caught my eye. I am not a rower, nor ever have been, and whilst I don’t exactly know what I am per se, I guess at a push I could call myself a long-distance cyclist. This row appealed as, like big bike rides, it would be a physical challenge that would challenge mental endurance. The psychological challenge is a vast one in my opinion. Out on a boat for months, aiming for a far away goal with no reference points to observe progress, life confined to a preplanned routine with little opportunity to shake up the pattern. At least on a bike you can stop off at a petrol station for a Twix.

Reading on through the post the opportunity appeared to get better and better. The successful candidate would be joined by two hugely experienced rowers, Billy and Barry, who amongst a wealth of other lifetime achievements had both rowed the Pacific Ocean. What a fantastic chance to be do that very few people have done and, as an even greater incentive, perhaps set a World record. However the challenge has an even greater aim, one that will give reason to grind away on those long difficult days and that will continue to produce results after dry land has been reached, and that is to raise awareness and to report on research of Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.

It is important for challenges to have a goal that is greater than just to finish. The ability to prove something, to change perceptions and to contribute to a solution gives the row a purpose. The addition of Robin on the team will inspire and inform, and contribute to the understanding of Parkinson’s for both researchers and others.

If you find yourself reading this I think you must share some of the sentiments, why else would you be here if you didn’t find it even a little bit intriguing? So please tell your friends, show your support, register your interest and lets all together watch these four blokes in a boat make it to the other side.

About the author

Billy

Billy, 45, is a fire fighter and lives in Bracklesham Bay on the South Coast. Billy sailed from Australia to England aged 17, delivered yachts all over the Mediterranean for many years and has sailed across the Indian Ocean twice. He has rowed across the Pacific Ocean with Barry Hayes and two other crew members and achieved two world records. He has run ultra-marathons and was also a consultant for a record-breaking ocean row across the Black Sea. In his spare time, Billy likes nothing more than romantic walks on windswept moors, needlepoint and curling up with a good Julie Cooper novel.