James Caple’s Atlantic Rowing Vision Quest

This weekend I talked to my Dad briefly about my plans to row the Atlantic. I told him I was flying to the UK to take in an ocean-rowing seminar and possibly see some boats. He said I should use that money to go see a Psychiatrist. Maybe he’s right…

Today I got my race packet from Woodvale containing information about the race, boats, raising money, etc. I feel more like one of the competitors now. I’m totally stoked!!

Also, I just got back from vacation where I had a chance to unwind a little and do some serious introspection about things; you know, had a talk with the Everywhere Spirit about things. I feel like I am closer to being able to answer Why? I want to do this race. It truly is a hard question to honestly, accurately and adequately answer.

DAY 1

This week I’ve begun putting together a campaign, in earnest, for entering the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009, organized by Woodvale Events in the UK. As of today, I plan on entering the the race in the solo class, meaning I plan to row the Atlantic, from La Gomera, Spain to Antigua all by myself! Should be quite a challenge. There is lots to think about, plan and do; lots of money to raise, and many odds and ends to buy, including a boat! I’ve already talked with and emailed lots of fascinating people, and look forward to meeting and engaging many, many more. This will be a great exercise in bringing this Software Engineer out of his social shell to face many and varying degrees of social and physical challenges. I am very excited about this project!

This is really day 1 for me in my bid to row the Atlantic. While I’ve been contemplating the possibility of doing this race for nearly a year, today is the first day I’ve actually said to myself that I can and WILL do it - solo! And that is really the first and most important step (next to throwing this WordPress Blog up, of course). So please check back here soon and often to follow my progress as I prepare to become one of only a handful of Americans who have rowed the Atlantic (East to West), solo. Let the journey begin!