The Atlantic Ocean

Estimated Course
Leaving La Gomera in the Canary Islands there is a navigational hazard for rowers in the shape of the island of El Hierro. This island has brought previous Atlantic rowing attempts to an early end and it must be avoided.

Currents
I will row due south on leaving to clear the island before I shape my course. I then have a choice; I can row south west for about a thousand miles to the Cape Verde Islands taking advantage of the Canary current which runs south west at about one knot. This will bring me handily to the north equatorial current which runs west at about one to one and a half knots. I need to be between fifteen and eighteen degrees north of the equator to take advantage of this current.

Atlantic Ocean photography by Jafras & Jason weimer

The currents have one big disadvantage; eddies. These eddies can be very large and run on the edges of the current. If I am caught in one of these, I can be taken around in circles without any hope of escape until I am flung off at the edge. This can take a week or more, and wipes out the benefit of rowing down to the current in the first place.

Biology of the Atlantic Ocean

Ecosystems
The oceans are teeming with life, which exist in a food chain. The tiniest organisms, the phytoplankton are plants which provide food for the next size up, the smallest of the fish. These fish provide food for the bigger fish and so on until we reach the biggest creatures in the ocean, the whales and sharks. The phytoplankton rely on ocean currents and specific conditions to grow, and they can be used to determine the direction of currents. They are very sensitive to their environment and will show us when environmental conditions have deteriorated due to poisons in the sea or by a subtle change in temperature or salinity.

Under the rowing boat the first thing to grow is a slime. This will be phytoplankton and weed which will feed tiny fish. Mussels and barnacles follow. Once the word gets around, other, bigger fish will be along to sample the menu. Without treatment I will have the company of a whole ecosystem under the boat. Many vessels use a paint under the waterline called antifouling. It is a poison to keep the phytoplankton and smaller creatures away, and therefore keep the restaurant closed. I have no desire to poison the ocean, so I will be climbing over the side daily and scrubbing the bottom with a scouring pad. I have heard that an environmentally friendly antifoul can be made using ordinary paint and strong chilli powder, but I am still researching this.

Ecosystems exist on our own bodies. The microbes and pathogens (bugs that can make us ill) are there all the time, as are bigger bugs which feed on them and our dead skin. We need them as much as they need us (a symbiotic relationship) but sometimes we become ill by allowing pathogens to grow in numbers until they begin to attack our bodies.

We need to avoid this by attention to personal hygiene and disposing of our waste products without contaminating our food.

I will be taking a shower every day which will be solar heated and pumped by a solar powered pump. Brushing my teeth daily and taking great care when using my bucket toilet will be part of my daily routine.

As well as the creatures we normally associate with the sea, I will be enjoying the company of seabirds. Identifying the species will be of interest to me so I will have with me a copy of Peter Harrison’s excellent book, Seabirds an identification guide (Christopher Helm publishers, ISBN number 0-7136-3510-X). I will post details of seabird sightings on the website.