We’re getting ever so close to the finish of this monumental challenge, and so it’s worth looking at the landing spot!
Port St. Charles, Barbados.
This port is steeped in ocean rowing history; not only have many independent ocean rowers landed here, but the very first rowing race across the Atlantic landed here…in fact the race was called the “Port St. Charles Atlantic Rowing Race.”
As you can probably work out from the compass rose in the picture, this port is on the FAR side of Barbados. There is good reason for this, it’s the sheltered side. The windward side has very little in the way of landing points, the winds and currents travel all the way across the Atlantic, and this is the first land they hit, so it’s a dangerous place to be in a rowing boat. So, barring any unexpected weather upsets, Annasley will aim just north of the northern tip of the island, before hooking a left and rowing south along the sheltered side of the island, until she reaches Port St. Charles.
Importantly, she mustn’t touch any other boats on her approach, otherwise this will be considered an ‘assisted crossing’, she needs to make it to land under her own steam. It doesn’t matter what bit of land she touches, she just needs to touch it….the clock then stops, and THEN the party can start!
