The loneliness of the long-distance rower

Andrew Brown is a shy English toy company manager—who has just broken the world record for rowing solo across the Atlantic, said Cole Moreton in the London Telegraph. A keen sailor since childhood, the 26-year-old hadn’t done much rowing before deciding to take part in the Talisker Atlantic Challenge. He proved his strength by rowing continuously for 25 hours on a machine—another record-breaking feat.

Still, nothing could prepare him for the reality of 40 days, alone, at sea. “I would get really down and start shouting, ‘Come on, Brown!’ That was a bit weird.” By the end of the journey, he’d lost 42 pounds and was almost delirious from lack of sleep. But Brown hadn’t expected or wanted it to be easy.

At 14, he’d been inspired by British yachtsman Peter Goss, who navigated the world solo. “He had a problem with his elbow and had to perform do-it-yourself surgery. I remember reading about him sticking a mirror on his knee, holding the elbow above the mirror and cutting into it. I thought, ‘What an incredible thing to do, to be out there all alone on the ocean and reliant on yourself. One day I would love to do something like that.’” He smiles. “Obviously it was the adventure I wanted, not necessarily the surgery.”

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