Alastair Humphreys » Channel Rowing

Dedication is What You Do When Nobody is Watching

Al Humphreys — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:09:13 +0000

The last time I put to sea was with an injured soldier. Phil and I rowed together from England to France. Written on the boat were the words “Dedication is What You Do When Nobody is Watching”. It’s a saying that will serve me well crossing the Atlantic.

There will be four of us out there, thousands of miles from land in a little pea green boat. Two hours of rowing, two hours break, two hours rowing. Repeat for as long as it takes to strike land on the far side. We anticipate that will be somewhere between 45 and 60 days.

If you are rowing solo the equations are very simple: row harder = go faster. Rest and relax = stay still. The choice is yours. You will only reach the end when you have earned the end. In a team of four it is different. There is scope to not pull with all your might. You can not bother to repair something because someone else will do it eventually. You can give less than your all and still reach the finish line.

I know that at times I will be tired or demoralised. My arse will hurt (indeed I am still in a lot of pain from this) and the end will seem far off. I will be at sea with three virtual strangers. I know that our bond will grow into a strong team willing to help each other and work hard for each other. But before we arrive at that stage my motivation must really just be for myself. To do the job properly, to arrive on the far side satisfied that I gave my all and not to have any lingering feelings that I took the easy route at any time.

The video below is an excellent demonstration of this idea. Put your heart and soul into what you do, at all times, everywhere. Dance like nobody’s watching.

No related posts.

Book Review: A Dip in the Ocean

Al Humphreys — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:37:21 +0000

Rowing an ocean has been a dream of mine for a while. Reading Sarah Outen’s new book, A Dip in the Ocean, confirmed that I would indeed love the experience. However her book also made me realise that I am too impatient, slapdash and stingy to raise the money, learn all the skills and deal with all the logistics involved. The book, on her record-breaking row across the Indian Ocean, was an interesting insight into what it takes to get an expedition like that out of the starting blocks and to the start line. This happens with the backdrop of Oxford University which was where I did most of the planning and preparation for my ride round the world. I also felt quite familiar with much of the rest of the book as it deals with the mental and physical challenges of propelling yourself a long way, alone, in the face of doubts and difficulties.

I found the first half of her book the most compelling, as Sarah struggles to overcome autoimmune hypothyroidism and, crushingly, the death of her Dad. This helps her put all other difficulties, pain and problems firmly in perspective as she perseveres with the rowing project. She faces her grief honestly throughout the book and it is certainly a much stronger read for that.

People who don’t know much about expedition life, its highs and lows, or about ocean rowing will enjoy the thorough account of her four months alone at sea. I focused more on imagining how wonderful it must be to be in the middle of an ocean, alone, on a night bursting with stars, or a calm, flat day with not even a ripple when “my horizon was pushed out further and it seemed like I was staring beyond the edge of the world.” Moments like that would make the terror of capsizing thousands of miles from land worthwhile (I think!).

A Dip in the Ocean is an honest book about the “happiest and saddest and most challenging and rewarding” adventure of Sarah’s life so far. I highly recommend it to young people dreaming of starting their first expedition, Mums fretting about their babies heading off on mad adventures, those planning a major row, or anyone simply interested in the story of the first woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean.

Sarah departs on April 1^st, two years to the day since her row began, to take on a “Sarah-powered” circumnavigation of the planet.

Watch an excellent short talk by Sarah here.

And buy her book here.

I Am What I Am – Roz Savage

Al Humphreys — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:19:38 +0000

Some interesting thoughts from ocean rower Roz Savage:

o Don’t waste mental energy asking yourself if you CAN do something. Just do it. You’ll surprise yourself. I did.

o Be clear about your objectives. Ignore others, stay true to yourself and measure success only against your own criteria. I was last to finish the race – big deal. I went out there to learn about myself, and I did.

o The only constant in life is change. So don’t get depressed by the bad times, and don’t get over-excited by good ones. Accept that things are exactly as they are, and even bad times have something to teach us.

o Life can be magical, but magic only gets you so far. Then you need discipline, determination and dedication to see it through.

o Hope can hurt. The danger is that you hope for too much and set yourself up for disappointment. Be optimistic but realistic. Nothing is ever as good or as bad as you expect it to be.

o Be mindful of the link between present action and desired future outcome. Ask yourself: if I repeat today’s actions 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?

o Decision-making: act in faith, not fear, and don’t worry about making a ‘wrong’ decision – the way you implement it is more important than the decision itself.

o Be your own best friend. The more you rely on other people, the less control you have over your destiny.

o Be proud of your own obituary: a few years ago I wrote two versions of my obituary, the one I wanted and the one I was heading for. They were very different. I realized I needed to make some big changes if I was going to look back and be proud of my life. I am making those changes, and now I have a life worth living.

If you found this post interesting you might like to read what I would say if I had just five minutes left to live.

BBC Inside Sport on Phil Packer

Al Humphreys — Sun, 09 May 2010 12:12:09 +0000

Guest Blog – Sarah Outen: “let’s raise a glass to not knowing which path to take, to exploring the options”

Al Humphreys — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:30:06 +0000

‘To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom’ – Gide

Sarah Outen is the youngest woman to row across any ocean. She is only the eighth woman to have rowed across an ocean solo. Of nine previous solo attempts to cross the Indian Ocean, only three have been successful, and all of those were made by men. She is the first woman to have rowed the Indian Ocean solo.
So I am chuffed that she has written this month’s guest blog post.

But first, here are her Guest Blogger stock questions:

- What expedition or journey has inspired you the most (apart from your own!)?
Ellen Macarthur’s success as a round the world yachtswoman back in my teenage years was a really powerful message that young women were out there leading the cavalry. All of the early exploration, both in the mountains, in the oceans, at the poles, in the deserts have also been really formative in my ideas and philosophies.

- What’s your favourite travel or adventure book?
Tricky question. The Kon Tiki is brilliant and was very apt for the ocean. Seven years in Tibet is fantastic in all senses of the word. So is Scott’s diaries, Cherry Garrard’s ‘Worst Journey in the world’…Shackleton’s ‘South’…’Into the void’… Nathanial Philbrick’s ‘The heart of the sea’ and Melville’s ‘Moby Dick’ are also big favourites.

- What luxury item do you carry on your expeditions?
I had a few treats on my boat. A bottle of perfume (entirely necessary to spruce up spirit and cabin after a rubbish day!); a tin of peaches and a pair of socks, knitted by my Mum – they are called ‘happy socks’ and bring deep joy into the life of anyone who looks at them.

- What do you miss the most when you are away?
On the ocean I was really limited for fresh food, so I dreamed of fresh stuff. And I missed my dog – you can’t tell a dog that you’ll be home in six months!

- What advice do you have for someone contemplating an adventure of their own?
Stop dreaming and go for it! Take the first step and you’re on your way.

‘To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom’ – Gide

For me, the veritable Monsieur Gide hits the nail right on the head with this little gemlet of wisdom and here is why.

I consider myself free from most things and at a bit of a crossroads in my life. I graduated in 2007, have recently rowed across the Indian Ocean – the culmination of three years planning and prep – and now, without a fixed job, mortgage, family or any major responsibilities I am not entirely sure what to do next. I agree, Monsieur Gide, it is arduous to know what to do and where to go and how to get there.

Hmmm… which way ?
Sometimes this is an exciting question, sometimes it is ‘make-your-heartbeat-race’ scary and at others it is just a bit mind-boggling. There is a whole world out there, options aplenty and adventures all over the place, and I have ideas for journeys and expeditions as well, so I think these should be executed before I get sucked into the Real World too seriously. When I say Real World I mean sensible job, mortgage, marriage etc. It’s just a matter of figuring out quite what and how and why it should all happen, in what order and when. Easy, eh?!

From the outside looking in
There are those who say I should settle down and get a sensible job (this would likely be teaching – though I’m not sure if all teachers would agree that this ticks the ‘sensible’ box!); there are others who have already offered me various options; and there are those who have tried to mould me into something I am not. I have jumped at some, recoiled at others and generally muddled my way through the ideas and suggestions, not necessarily any the wiser as to which way I will point and shoot. There is one thing I have decided though – it has to feel right and it should not be careered into, charging headlong at something exciting just because it sounds fun. Then at least, I shall at least give the air of being a semi-responsible adult while also setting myself up not to regret any wrong turns later on.

The plan is to make a plan
I’m buying some time on this one. Having spent 124 days of this year out on the open ocean, living a very simple life and making some very special journeys, I am giving myself 124 days on land to figure out at least a working plan, or an ‘Exploratory Plan’ as my friend called it. (The capital letters make it all the more sensible, at least in my own head). Suddenly, my confused and bemused thoughts started shaping up into something I can deal with – letting the idea of not having a fixed goal grow into a comfortable resting place, where I can look at it from all angles and be happy with it, rather than shifting on my feet and looking a bit uncertain when asked the question, ‘So, what’s next?’. The fallout from having had a plan for so long, reaching the goal, and then being left with a completely blank canvas has been a bit tricky to fathom out and has taken some getting used to. I’m on Day 84 of Land Life, so another 40 days left to make the plan.

It’s OK to sit and wonder which way to go next
Of course, it will most likely be that I will get to Day 126 or 7 and 8, and still not be entirely sure of where I’m headed and that in a few years time, whatever I am doing, I may well be in another similar headspace. For one thing I have discovered during all my indecisive not-quite-sure-which-way-to-turn-next moments, is that many people still don’t know which way they’re headed next, even those with more wisened years to their name than my 24, and even those folks already established as a so-called Sensible in the Real World. How many readers are sitting nodding in agreement at the screens, recognising that this situation is theirs too? So, therefore, I have decided it’s OK to be a bit bemused by it and explore all the options of potential alternatives or new directions – it’s much better to take some time and make the right choice than to trot off down one path and realise that, had you looked a little closer, the other path might have been more rewarding or fulfilling. In fact, I would say that it is a real opportunity, rather than a scary monster – a time to really reflect and explore and be happy with the next phase of whatever that may be.

So, let’s raise a glass to not knowing which path to take, to exploring the options, and to freestyling for a bit until serendipity deals an open invite towards the right idea.

For me, I know that when it arrives, or emerges out of my post-ocean thoughts, and most importantly that it feels right, then it will be the time to welcome it with open arms and get ready for the next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be.

Not necessarily easy waiting for it to hatch, but it is certainly pretty exciting – an adventure in itself, perhaps?

Meanwhile…

Tales of the ocean are being shared far and wide and Sarah is available for talks. Visit her website for more info: www.sarahouten.co.uk