The Ocean Rowing Club Podcast

09/08/2024

DID YOU SUFFER FROM ANY POST ADVENTURE BLUES?

“Anyone will tell you that rowing the Atlantic can change your life. A lot of people completely change their jobs, a lot of people go off and live somewhere else… it gives you a lot of time to think, and for me, I didn’t want what I had anymore. A lot of people would call me lucky but to me… it was almost killing me.

So over the few months when I got back, I did have the post row blues and it was mainly because I come back to the life I left and I wasn’t happy, so over the course of about six months I allowed my contracts to lapse and I semi-retired. Now everything for me is about living my life the best way I can, spending time with my family and making memories.

Nobody ever laid on their deathbed and said… I wish I’d worked more.”

EPISODE 67: NEIL FURMINGER

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

07/08/2024

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FUTURE OCEAN ROWER?

EPISODE 67: NEIL FURMINGER

1. Tap into all the past rowers knowledge
2. Get on the erg a lot
3. Get on the boat as much as you can
4. Embrace it
5. It’s not all about the rowing, learn how to use everything on the boat
6. Clip on!!!
7. Mentally prepare by doing stuff you aren’t comfortable with

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

05/08/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 67: NEIL FURMINGER

Ocean: Atlantic
Length: 49 days 15 hours 12 minutes
From: La Gomera
To: Antigua
Year: 2022
Event: Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge
Team: Ocean Dadventure
Crew: 3 x male
Age: 57

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

02/08/2024

WHY DID YOU WANT TO ROW ACROSS AN OCEAN?

“I first heard about ocean rowing watching Cayle Royce MBE row in the Row 2 Recovery team. Cause is a double amputee, severed in the Light Dragoons regiment with my brother and they were serving in Afghanistan and my brother was there when the incident happened which resulted in the loss of his 2 legs.

A year to the date of that incident he ended up rowing in the Talisker, it gives me shivers just knowing what hardships he went through and then decided to row and ocean.

He inspired the idea, I watched his end videos of arriving in Antigua and from that day on I was always thinking “could I do something like that?” I was never someone who was fit, barely did exercise but what an inspiration to see someone do such an amazing thing after quite a trialing period.”

EPISODE 66: OLI AMOS

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

31/07/2024

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FUTURE OCEAN ROWER?

EPISODE 66: OLI AMOS

1. Reach out to as many people as you can
2. Spend as much time on your boat as you can
3. Pick a captain
4. Learn to hand and foot steer
5. Bring a toilet brush
6. Download more podcasts
7. Bring fresh and tinned fruit
8. Try not to talk to home too much
9. Have a social media manager

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

29/07/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 66: OLI AMOS

Ocean: Pacific
Length: 39 days 4 hours 28 minutes
From: California
To: Hawaii
Year: 2023
Event: World’s Toughest Row
Team: Brothers n Oars
Crew: 4 x male
Age: 34

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

26/07/2024

WHY DID YOU WANT TO ROW ACROSS AN OCEAN?

“I’ve got a really deep root of love for the sea, and I've got some great memories of my dad taking me mackerel fishing when I was a child, believe it or not, on a rowing boat! As I've grown up, my passion for the sea only got stronger and you'll often find me, in the summer months especially, out fishing or sailing or doing something in the water.

In 2006, I was intrigued, and very much inspired, by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle when they crossed the Atlantic. The determination and commitment you've got from an Olympic rower, partnering with an adventurous television presenter, just made compelling viewing for me, and it actually left me with a strong desire to row across the ocean myself one day.

Fast forward 10 years and fate dealt our family a cruel blow when my mum was diagnosed with dementia, and I've witnessed first hand the devastating impact this disease has on a family, especially on my dad who unconditionally cares for my mum. So I wanted to help people living with dementia and I wanted to raise money to support the local community and the local dementia services. So no prizes for guessing how I planned to do this… yep, this was my opportunity to step up, realise my dream and row across an ocean.”

EPISODE 65: GEORGE NELSON

-—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

24/07/2024

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FUTURE OCEAN ROWER?

EPISODE 65: GEORGE NELSON

1. Break the project down into manageable chunks
2. Network with ocean rowers and don’t be afraid to ask friends and family for help
3. It is more of a mental challenge than a physical one
4. Don’t take any chances with safety equipment and understand your electronics
5. Get the best communication system you can afford
6. Practice in rough weather
7. Have a wide variety of food and schedule regular celebrations
8. Things will go wrong so don’t panic
9. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and do it

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

22/07/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 65: GEORGE NELSON

Ocean: Atlantic
Length: 96 days 23 hours 44 minutes
From: Portugal via Gran Canaria
To: Antigua
Year: 2023
Event: Independent
Team: Oar Blimey
Crew: 2 x male
Age: 56

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

19/07/2024

WHY DID YOU WANT TO ROW ACROSS AN OCEAN?

“I came across the Atlantic Challenge about five or six years ago, and it was just the most inspiring, bonkers, crazy thing I had ever, ever seen.

I was seeing all these people getting ready in La Gomera, and then they just disappeared off into the horizon to face mother nature for 40, 50 days at sea, and then popped out in Antigua looking slightly more shell-shocked than at the beginning, and I just completely and utterly fell in love with this challenge, these kind of ordinary people taking on something just so extraordinary, and they were super humans in my mind.

It just completely got under my skin. I followed the race every year since then, and I just kind of knew that it was something that not only that I wanted to do, but I had this feeling that I kind of had to do it one day. Otherwise, I would live another 10, 20, however many years, and regret not doing this thing.”

EPISODE 64: VICTORIA MONK

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

17/07/2024

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FUTURE OCEAN ROWER?

EPISODE 64: VICTORIA MONK

1. Invest time into the team dynamic
2. Create team values and stick to them
3. It is never too early to start fundraising

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

15/07/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 64: VICTORIA MONK

Ocean: Atlantic
Length: 39 days 13 hours 25 minutes
From: La Gomera
To: Antigua
Year: 2023
Event: World’s Toughest Row
Team: There She Rows
Crew: 4 x female
Age: 30

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

12/07/2024

DID YOU SUFFER FROM ANY POST ADVENTURE BLUES?

“When I came back to Dubai, I certainly had the blues. I felt it was difficult to fit in. I’d see friends and they were sort of complaining about the most stupidest of problems, and I just wanted to say, life is so much bigger than that, you know? Just don't worry about all this stuff.

I felt a little bit like I didn't fit in. I did actually speak with a couple of my friends and sort of say, by the way, I'm struggling at the moment, and one of my friends who's a serial adventurer says, “now you know how I feel, I hate being back in normal life”, and he says, “the key is you just got to always be out there in the outdoors and doing what you love, because that's the real buzz”, and I agree with him. that's what I look forward to all the time.

It did also readjust a lot of my thinking. I had a lot of epiphanies, I certainly realised that I had taken a lot for granted and didn't appreciate the things that I have whilst I was on that boat, when you really are in a situation where you have very, very little, and I needed to learn that, and I'm thankful for that realisation.

So in some ways, these things created a lot of confusion. I sort of felt like I was a new person, but with all the habits of the old guy, and I looked at myself going – why am I doing that? Why do I do these things? So it was a confusing time, but all in all, I think it was a good thing, and I'm very thankful that I have learnt from this experience and managed to take something from it.”

EPISODE 63: PARIS NORRISS

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

10/07/2024

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FUTURE OCEAN ROWER?

EPISODE 63: PARIS NORRISS

1. Try and mimic the real situation in your training as much as possible
2. Be expedition ready rather than race ready
3. Be disciplined with your routines
4. The experience is just as valuable as a record
5. Take everything you can from the experience

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

08/07/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 63: PARIS NORRISS

Ocean: Pacific
Length: 39 days 4 hours 28 minutes
From: California
To: Hawaii
Year: 2023
Event: World’s Toughest Row
Team: Brothers n Oars
Crew: 4 x male
Age: 37

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

05/07/2024

WHY DID YOU WANT TO ROW ACROSS AN OCEAN?

“I'd been taking part in endurance challenges since 2009, starting with marathon running, quickly moving on to Ironman Distance Triathlons, then on to Ultra Marathons – and there was an English Channel Swim thrown in there – and I was always raising the bar trying to discover what my mind and body were capable of achieving.

I think once you go down that rabbit hole of ultra endurance events, you meet so many inspiring and amazing people doing pretty awesome things and it inspires me to keep pushing, looking for new adventures. It's the adventure that appeals to me for the larger events. I think with meeting all these inspiring people, the bucket list just gets bigger and bigger.

In 2020 my wife had asked me what was at the top of my bucket list at the time and I had said Everest, Atlantic, North Pole, South Pole and a few other things… and I'm not sure if it was because of COVID or lockdown, or because we had just had our first child together, but she said “Well, just do it. Just sign up for something. Life's short, just get on with it.”

EPISODE 62: STEVE HAYES

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app

03/07/2024

01/07/2024

PODCAST EPISODE 62: STEVE HAYES

Ocean: Atlantic
Length: 54 days 17 hours 45 minutes
From: La Gomera
To: Antigua
Year: 2022
Event: Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge
Team: Dragon Fish Row
Crew: 2 x male
Age: 41

—

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/theoceanrowingclub or search for The Ocean Rowing Club on your favourite podcast app