THIERRY DAGUES > Rowing a Boat across the Atlantic

I'm arrived
Today at 3:12pm (Paris' hour) i landed after 68 days, 6 hours and 12 minutes on the sea.

A wonderfull moment !

I know that Guadeloupe is near ! There are 200 kilometers left. I'm a bit late because I didn't anticipate the current that goes from South West Indies to North West Indies.
Today, there's no wind so, I was to row southward and try to go towards the East. I have to make efforts to row. Thinking of my arrival helps me a lot. I marvel at the shoal of fishes that are around me.
I met again my little bird who was with me during a big part of my road !
Today, my biggest wish is to reach earth by myself, that is to say, without being towed.
According to Sébastien Fabre, my meteorologist, I should have favorable winds durings the whole week.

From Thursday to Sunday, I had to stay inside because the winds were too stong. The deafening noise of the waves on the hull was impressive. I'm reassured because my boat reacts well to the waves. I had rested a bit but I found the days too long.
On Monday morning, I began to row again thanks to the wind that lessened. I still suffer from my tendinisis and my blotch.
I will soon meet boats because I'm about to enter a maritime zone of circulation.
I'm looking forward to walking, drink a glass of fresh water and eat real food !

Since Monday, I have made good progress with the race ! Thanks to the wind , the sea is really rough which is not a pleasure for rowing but it does not matter because I can row fastly with it !
The more I progress, the more the race is difficult : I can not sleep as well as I want because of the itching behind my knees and I think that I am in a pitiful state of health.
Furthermore, the sun is very hot and irritant for my skin.
The couple of birds is still with me and I can see fishes below the hull of Lune de Mer !
Those days, I had my fist technical problem with the machine I use to desalinate the water ! Every days, I must dismantle it and to put it back together but it is not a problem for me as I can use it !
I can not wait anymore to be in Guadeloupe and I try to see the coast but I know that it is not for this week...I want to see people, walk and drink fresh water !!!

Tuesday 11th of January
This week end, I have done a really big work on myself : a sort of psychoanalysis. I have done it because I was a little bit pessimistic and it could not continue like that ! I still have 1000km to row and I must take advantage of this situation !
Today, my morale is better. I row easily and the winds and currents help me. Nevertheless, I wish I were already in Guadeloupe so as to sleep in real bed and not in my cabin anymore !
As far as the weather is concerned, the sky is cloudy but I do not miss the sun which is too hot.
On Sunday, a shark had been following me during half an hour and the birds are always with me.
I have not learnt italian for 3 weeks (despite my fast progression) because I prefer reading, it is more relaxing than learning !

Sunday 9th of January

Since Thursday, the winds are really strong and I have to stay watchful.
I realize that the race is harder than I used to believe with a mass of steps that I have to overcome but I keep in mind that is an extraordinary experience.
Concerning my health, it is worse : my tendinitis is not better and it is the same fot itching behind my knees.
I think that the end of the race will be difficult, as Lune de Mer is a rowboat, it can be easily taken by the current and the wind. It will be difficult to reach Guadeloupe but I have time to think about it !!!

Since a few days, I row intensively and so as to stay in good shape, I try to eat as much sugar as I can.
Fortunately, the East wind is back and it will probably help me !
I use up my energy doing the rest of the race which will be difficult. I feel the dificulty for 10 days : I can not wait to be on earth, I want to meet people and to smell something different from the see !!!
I do not sleep very well because I suffer from itching behind my knees !!!
When I feel down, I remember me a rowing race and I feel better.
This race is an excellent mental exercise and I am sure that it will be usefull for the rest of my life and that is a form of motivation !

The east wind will be back and that is good news for me !
Those days, I had less wind except on Sunday where I crossed a depression that is the reason why I casted and weight anchor every minute and I spent time reading in my cabin.
The sea was rough and the sky looked threatening, I had to zigzag through the storms !!!
On Sunday, a sperm whale was around Lune de Mer, it was very surprizing !
On Monday, I rowed slowly because the ocean was too quiet, the end of the cross will be hard !!!
Sometimes, I feel tlike I'm in a cycle race with ascents and sudendly someone announce me that I have just to continue 100 meters whereas I have to do 100 km more ! It is very disappointing !
I try to stay concentrated on the race so as to row faster than I can but I am very tired.
I row from 10 a.m and 9 p.m and perhaps I will row during the night.
The weather is very hot and it is sometimes hard to put up with when there is no wind !
However, I keep up my morale and so as to remember me the taste of France, I have eaten 1kg of Cassoulet (a French meal) : One cassoulet a day keeps the doctor away !!!

A good Christmas....

Since the 25th, the weather is bad !
Weather conditions are so bad that I can not progress very well...I move back !!!
The night between 23th and 24 th December, I miss narrowly a oil tanker, hopefully my radar has detected it.
The noise and the gusty wond are very wearing and I am waiting just for one thing : The evening so as to be in my cabin and in order to have a rest.
Nevertheless, it was a good Christmas for me (I ate Foie gras) and my meteorologist announced me that the Est wind will be back.

23rd of december

I had some good news : I will not meet the tropical depression that my meteorologist announced me on Thuesday : It has taken a great weight off my shoulders !!!

Usually, I row 8 hours a day bbecause the wind is very light.
However thanks to the sunny weather, I had for the first time fished and I saw that the marine life is more important than I used to believe.
In few minutes, I have catched a 50 cm. sea bread that I have coocked with olive oil and lemon juice : it was delicious !
This meal has raised me spirits because it was better than the freezed dry food. So as to immortalize this moment, I have shot a short movie.

I have finally seen a beautiful sunrise and a splendid sunset : I appreciated this moment after the bad weather.

After 35 days out at sea, the crossing becomes a little bit boring because it's uneventful : the marine life is scarce, the wind is light and I row on a glassy sea that's why I am not really enthusiastic.
Fortunately, the weather is sunny but I have to take care not to get sunburned.
In average, I row 8 hours a day but as Sebastion Fabre, my meteorologist, anounced me that I will meet a tropical depression on Wednesday, I try to row more and I also try to steer Lune de Mer towards the West. Thanks Santa Claus !!!
Despite that, I keep up my morale and I have decorated Lune de Mer for Christmas.

Good news ! On Thursday 16th December, I have covered half of my way !
The weather is better than last week and the Altlantic Ocean is more peaceful.
I still suffer from my tendinitis and it's quite difficult to sleep well.
My feet are, as last time, injured by blisters and callus.
My little birds are still following me !
I would like to say that I am very satisfied with the Annecy Pc Course (7 students of my former university), they work very hard and I am really proud of their work : they are really efficient !!!

Life on my boat is not very funny those days... I have bad weather, the sea is very rough and Lune de Mer is shaked. It makes me divert and I'm not going very fast even if I row a lot.
I'm always wet which is very unpleasant. Unfortunately, my meteorologist Sébastien Fabre doesn't forecast good weather... I just have to wait ! I haven't seen any sunrise nor sunset for at least 10 days... Fortunately, I have all the delicacies my family prepared for me ! On monday, I began to eat the Christmas candies my mother made !

As far as my health is concerned, I lost weight, and I egin to be tired, but it's nothing alarming !

I'm still accompanied by my birds. I wonder where they sleep and how they eat ! When I'm back, I'll make some researches ! SOmetimes I talk to them, tell them to settle on the boat but I think they are still too shy to do it !

Since the beginning of the week, the wind is less strong so I can row without my safety harness. Even if I have a swell coming from the North, the winds are favorable

I'm still studying my italian lessons, in the morning I recite them when I'm rowing.

Now, what I want is to arrive at the middle of the course by thursday. Since sunday, I can see the point of Guadeloupe on my GPS. But I still have to row to reach it !

On friday, I shaved off, I feel far better now that I don't have that beard anymore !

Since the end of last week, the weather is hard to deal with. I have to row with my safety harness and to concentrate a lot which is very tiring. There's no sun, a lot of waves, rain...
Fortunately, thanks to the wind I'm going very fast, it's a good thing for my moral !

I take care when there's a little bit of water inside my cabin not to let dampness instal.

I still suffer from my tendinisis.
At night, I sleep a lot even if I'm still waking up every hour !

I begin to be fed up with my freeze-dried food and I'm dreaming of a real savoyard meal, a "tartiflette" !

Except that, everything is ok, but I whish the weather would be better !

Morally, I feel better since the wind is favourable. It enables me to go faster than the days before.

On thursday it rained a little and a bit more during the night but it was a good thing because it cleaned my boat, it was full of salt !

Thoses days, I had different surprises. I saw my first shark, it was about 3 meters long. I've also found 2 little flying fishes in the cockpit but they were dead and to small to be eaten. I'm going to start fishing today.

Yesterday I saw 80 centimeters long flying fishes, it was surprising but, the amazing thing is that later, they have been attaqued by a shoal of sea breams!

So, eveyrthing is ok except a tendinitis that hurt me left hand and prevent me from rawing a lot. If the wind is still favorable this week-end I'm going to rest a bit more than I used to.

I'm still accompagnied by my little bird (the other one has disapeared...), he is faithful to me, I even saw him at night !

I'm glad, I'm rowing faster and faster ! The Azores anticyclone is getting installed. I follow my meteorologist's (Sébastien Fabre) good advice as often as possible. He helps me a lot and is one of my most precious ally (if not THE most precious !).

We could think that the Atlantic Ocean is not big enough because a few days ago, I realized when I turned around that I was very near a freighter that didn't set up its radar. Since then, I check behind me very often !

I've been followed by a couple of bird for a few days ! I began to learn italien au I even listen to the radio in order to keep posted about the news !

See you !

Thierry

Last week's was quite difficult because of strong winds that obliged me to raw again and again !

I had a "little" fear because I don't always check behind me when I row and last time, I realized that I was near an oil tanker ! Fortunately, I was able to redirect quickly.

During the week-end, the weather was not the best for me because there was no wind at all so, once again, I'd been obliged to row a lot. But I will soon be able to get some rest during the day.

I sleep better and better and in order not to miss the sunrise, I have to set my alarm clock ! I've already missed it one time.
At night, I usually read books and all the e-mails I receive.

I began to meet differents types of fishes like gilt-head bream or sword fishes... and even dolphins ! I was about to think that they don't exist and that it's just a myth like mermaids ! So, now this leads me to expect mermaids...

See you soon !

I'm continuing my way under a blazing sun ! It's getting hotter everyday especially in the cabin.
I row a lot and I've already covered more than 800 kilometers.
Yesterday in the afternoon, I saw some fishes but I'd already had lunch so I didn't even try to fish. I've also seen 2 sailboats. But I haven't seen any dolphin nor any mermaid yet !
Physically speaking I'm in good health even if I suffer from blisters on my hands and my foot because of rowing. But it doesn't hurt me, which is the most important thing.
Anyway, I feel good and I make progress !
See you soon !

Thierry

My first days on board had been quite difficult because of important waves due to strong wind. I suffered from seasickness but now I feel better as the wind began to lessen.Because of that, it was not really easy to row but I succeeded to cover about 450 kilometers even so !

I begin to get used to the marine environment. I'm less seasick than before, so it's easier for me to eat.

The nights seems extremely long to me and even more that it's not easy to sleep because of the wind and also because of my radar detector that always rings as I'm still near the coasts. Sometimes I feel like in a washing machine !

Despite the wind, I try to stay as long as I can outside the cabin because it's easier to breath than inside as I can't open the porthole because of the waves.
My meteorologist, Sebastien Fabre told me yesterday that the wind is still going to lessen and that the weather will be beautiful. So, everything should be ok and I'll be able to advance well !

See you soon !

Thierry

With good weather forecasts, I started yesturday at 9 am.

See you soon
Thierry

I started Sunday November the 7th in the morning on the roads of France and Spain. I'm joining Cadiz and his harbour where a cargo liner is waiting me. I'm leaving our continent for the 3 next months !

Arrival is scheduled Thursday 11th in the morning in Las Palmas (island of Gran Canaria, offshore of south Morocco), to prepare the last "details" before the departure. Test at sea of apparatuses (in particular the dessalinisator, the phone, the radar and the VHF), preparation of the bags of food, but also taken filmed sights and sequences are on the story board.

According to the indications of Sebastien Favre, the meterologist who's going to route me , the departure should be at the beginning of the next week; it is necessary to wait a window weather which enables me to sufficient move away from coasts not to risk of to fail it.

See you soon on this web site.

Warm regards,
Thierry