“Nothing extreme happened,
but I'm now less
© Markham Nolan, Afloat Ireland
of a mystery to myself”
Ciaran Lewis and Gearoid Towey training on Dublin Bay / Ciaran Lewis and Gearoid Towey
s’entraînant dans la Baie de Dublin
And after the adventure is over? "Most
people go back to their regular lives,"
says Crutchlow. "Maybe a couple (of
people) do another ocean."
Ocean rower Mick Dawson is one that
has come back for more. Dawson, who
now works for Woodvale, can't get enough.
He is currently planning to redo a failed
attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean
from Japan to the United States solo and
Dawson's brother, Steve, is just as keen.
Steve just completed an Atlantic crossing
with three others, form the United States
to the Netherlands, in record breaking time.
Dawson has more than his share of
fascinating stories. His description of
capsizing 109 days into his Japan to US
trip is the stuff of a Hollywood script
complete with a dramatic rescue.
This hasn't deterred Dawson. "I didn't
find it frightening because I was so busy,
but there was one moment when I was in
the life raft something went underneath
me." Dawson describes the fear of
thinking a shark had discovered him.
"Just for a moment I got a bit of panic."
But Dawson can't say enough positive
things about ocean rowing. "You get so
in tune with what you are doing. I could
predict the weather. I'd be so sensitive on
so many levels." Dawson also speaks
enthusiastically about the closeness of
nature and distance from life's clutter.
"I've got a better perspective on life."
Cela n’a pas dissuadé Dawson. « Je n’ai
pas trouvé cela effrayant parce que j’étais
tellement occupé. Mais j'ai quand même
paniqué un peu lorsque j'ai senti quelque
chose passer sous le radeau de sauvetage. »
Dawson décrit alors la peur d’avoir été
repéré par un requin.
Mais Dawson ne cesse de trouver des
choses positives à dire à propos de
l’aviron d’océan. « On est tellement en
symbiose avec ce que l’on fait. Je pouvais
prévoir la météo. J’étais tellement sensible
à plein de niveaux. » Il explique également avec enthousiasme sa proximité
avec la nature et combien cela le tient
éloigné d’une vie à ornières. « Ma
perspective de la vie est bien meilleure. »
