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Rowing Across the Atlantic

Posted by michael on from the gosh-are-my-arms-tired dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes: "Wired News has an article about 68 men and women who are rowing across the Atlantic. "All 34 boats in this year's race are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and practically all the rowers have satellite phones and other wireless gadgets with Internet access.""

3 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Gulf stream. by VA+Software · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The race began Oct. 7 at Los Gigantes Harbor in Tenerife, Spain, and ends in Port St. Charles, Barbados.

    Is there a good reason they're rowing against the gulf stream and the prevailing winds?

    As if rowing across the atlantic isn't hard enough already

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  2. Ocean Rowing Society by Barnum · · Score: 5, Informative

    if you're interested in this sort of thing, I suggest you head over to OceanRowing.com. I worked for the director of the Ocean Rowing Society, Kenneth Crutchlow, for a year compiling metric assloads of data about every single ocean rower who ever attempted a crossing. It was definitely one of the strangest jobs I've ever held, but after spending so much time surrounded by this close knit community of people who want to test the limits of human endurance, you begin to understand what drives someone to want to do this. Every rower has their own personal drama to tell, and it is a riveting experience to hear them describe their lone rowboats amid 50 foot swells in mid-Atlantic hurricanes or having to jump out of their boat to spear fish when food runs out halfway across the Pacific.

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  3. Not about GPS and Satellite Phones... by DaoudaW · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While the rowers say they are grateful for the wireless perks like GPS and satellite phones, Vose says the gadgets are not giving the rowers an unfair advantage.

    Both Wired and Slashdot seem to emphasize the technology. This is an amazing, grueling physical trial. The tech is for us to follow them and rescue if necessary. Their main tech tool is the business end of an oar.