Last night I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, struggling to get comfortable in my king size bed, beneath my soft, flannel sheets and down filled duvet. At two in the morning I found myself splayed sideways across the bed and oddly my feet only lightly brushed the pajamas of my soundly sleeping spouse. As I suffered in my 400-thread count sheets, my mind wandered to the book I’d just finished, a fantastic account of an Atlantic crossing in a rowboat by Julie Angus entitled, “Rowboat in a Hurricane”. Specifically, I thought of Julie’s sleeping quarters on the rowboat; a tiny cabin essentially one third the width of a single bed with barely enough head room for an adult to sit up in without cracking their skull on the ceiling. Dammit! So now, not only was I becoming more and more sleep deprived by the minute, but felt completely guilty for my discomfort. I blame Julie.
“Rowboat in a Hurricane” is the riveting tale of Julie and her boyfriend (now husband), Colin’s transatlantic, 10,000KM journey from Portugal to Costa Rica in their rowboat, Ondine. As the title discloses the couple encounters a hurricane. Actually, they encounter three. Hurricane Vince, Hurricane Epsilon, and Hurricane Delta; not to mention Tropical Storm Zeta. I’ve cowered like a frightened child on Great Lake ferries, so read these accounts with my jaw on the floor. Who in their right mind would put themselves into this kind of situation? But wait, isn’t that the state of mind that leads to greatness? Of course it is. It’s the same good-crazy that drives people to run hundreds of miles, to push their bodies to their limits and beyond. Isn’t it?
Hurricanes are only the beginning of the interesting things that happen to the couple as they row. Some of the highlights include:
- A visit from a Great White Shark
- An amorous sea turtle with an interest in rowboats
- Kamikaze flying fish
- A close encounter with a giant ocean Freighter
- Holidays and birthdays at sea
- A possible pregnancy
I’ll leave it to you, the reader to discover the latter on your own as you read.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this book is the direct, first hand account of the environmental impact that humanity has inflicted upon it’s oceans. I can only imagine the sadness one must feel being in the middle of ocean, thousands of miles from any major cities and seeing garbage float past your boat. What else could explain hurricanes forming where and when they’ve never formed before except our changing environment? Julie’s first hand account of these events serve to emphasize that we must change if we are to survive. Qutie simply, if the oceans die, we die.
Should you read this book? Absolutely, yes! Go buy it today, you won’t be disappointed. As far as Monumental Efforts go, we each have our own. Some of us struggle to get up stairs, or to open cans. Some strive to push their bodies to their limits, both physically and psychologically through grueling tests of endurance. Then there are those who simply defy comprehension and definition; like Julie Angus.
To purchase Rowboat in a Hurricane click the book cover at the top of this post.
To learn more about Julie and Colin, click http://www.angusadventures.com/
