Cobhman halfway across the Atlantic Ocean

Despite 3 starts due to adverse weather conditions on Jan 12th the 6 person international crew of The Sara G set out from Agadir in Morocco in an attempt to row 5000km across the Atlantic Ocean unaided using only the power of the oars.    Now just over the half way mark, Cork man Mike Jones and crew of Sara G have experienced some challenging and exciting times coupled with moments of pure bliss as they live their personal dreams of rowing an Ocean 

After the initial buzz of getting started the crew quickly got into the 2 hours on the oars 2 hours off the oars routine and began to make great mileage covering nearly 100 nautical miles in one day.  The first major issues they had to contend with were nearly losing their wind generator closely followed by the realization that some of their dehydrated food had been contaminated by diesel.   Next up the mighty Ocean decided to throw some very challenging weather at the crew and while on the oars one night Mylene (the only female on board) was knocked right out of her seat by a wave resulting in a lost set of oars.  Again the crew battled on through the weather but once the seas calmed and they were allowed out of the respite of their cramped cabins the inevitable happened with the wind taking a turn forcing the crew to go on sea anchor for 6 days to avoid being blown back towards Africa.   Jones described this as  possibly one of the most frustrating aspects of Ocean rowing as all you can do is sit and wait  Strangely this time at sea anchor did give the crew a chance for their bodies to recover from the stresses of the grueling rowing routine and also gave them some time to perfect their fishing skills.  Back off sea anchor the crew had a near miss with a tanker.  Never a dull moment at sea!

On the environmental side of things Mike and crew have been visited by sea turtles, sharks, dorado, tuna and whales.  All of this coupled with the fascinating nighttime skyline which allows them to hone in on constellation identification and stargazing really makes these guys realize how lucky they are to have the opportunity to be a part of an expedition such as this. 
However for now the home slog is really on and the only way to keep the spirits high on board is by remembering that they are on an adventure of a lifetime which some people can only ever dream about.  Will the crew have to eat the tainted food, will there be any more near misses with tankers? Will they make it to Barbados by March 4th? Only time will tell.   

Fundraising is still being carried out and donations are still being made through Mikes website (www.atlantic5000.com) and Mike is really looking forward to making presentations to his chosen charities Milford Care Centre Limerick and Marymount Hospice Cork, on his return. 

Itinerary:
– Boat & Crew departed Morocco at 0600 on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
– Crew due to arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados March 4th
– www.atlantic5000.com will be updated regularly from the boat by Mike Jones