On June 14 of 2022, Damian Browne set off from Chelsea Piers in New York City for an oceanic excursion. His goal was to row to the city of Galway in his native Ireland. That’s a journey of some 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean! The 42-year-old former rugby player battled mother nature’s fury, as his tiny 20-foot craft was tossed about in gail force winds and punishing waves. Some days he had to take refuge in his water-tight cabin.
Here's one of the videos he posted to his social media account: He writes...
I’ve rowed two 18nm days in a row. It might not sound like much and to any ocean rower on a normal day it’s not, but to me after what’s gone before for the last two weeks; it’s huge. It brings hope. Unfortunately just as one is stirring inside and starting to see a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel I receive a fuck ugly weather forecast that feels like someone’s stomping on my heart. 3-4 days of strong winds from the NE; basically winds out of Ireland. It’s a tough gig this ocean rowing. “I will outlast. I will get to work this morning . I won’t fucking give up. I won’t fucking stop. I’ll keep going & going & going until I get to home. Nothing inside of my control is going to stop me rowing the North Atlantic.” Day 90: Persistence Beats Resistance Finally! It has only taken me 13 days but ‘Cushla’ and I have broken the 400 nautical miles to go barrier. 391nm to go starting this morning. There were times I felt it might never happen as the wall of wind and waves battered all my attempts to move North East backwards. Despair raised its head from time to time but I just kept turning up and doing the work. Daily totals of 3nm, 7nm & -5nm don’t exactly make it easy to drag your tired, sore and beaten body from the bed the next morning, however it’s the grind that’s ultimately the key; so I pour all my focus into chopping wood & carrying water to the best of my ability each day despite what’s gone before. Todays been a fun day. They don’t happen often. We’ve had calm seas and favorable rowing conditions. I’ve had long day dream states while still keeping Cushlamachree heading in the direction of Ireland. I’ve been in the rejuvenating waters of the Atlantic, entering with a lot more energy than usual, where I finished the removal of all the Goose Barnacles (thanks for the info on that everyone) and we had two curious pilot whales come visit us. Today brought back memories of earlier in the expedition. It’s was nice not to be fighting conditions for once in a little while; especially with what’s forecast to come.
Photo: Getty Images