QUEEN OF HEARTS

If you intend to cross the ocean by oar, you need a specialized rowing boat. We got ourselves an R45, built by Rannoch Adventures in Burnham-on-Crouch in the UK. The R45 is a very competitive four-person ocean rowing boat. We are the first team with a new and improved version: the R45 Elite. The Elite has a new design and row deck system, making life easier on board.  

On the 11th of January, it was time to pick up our brand new boat. Melissa and I took the plane to London-Southend and Iris and Eva drove up to Rannoch. Mark, our tech guy, also joined us. After a rundown of the boat by Charlie Pitcher, we hooked up the trailer and travelled all night, back to Friesland.

The next day we had a quick breakfast, eager to get our beautiful boat on the water. Before launching her, as promised to Charlie, we named her: Queen of Hearts. With wind force 5, it was not an easy start, but we all thoroughly enjoyed rowing our beautiful Queeny. The owners of the boat, de Waard BV, were present to witness her maiden voyage.

The next day we went back to Sneekermeer. With less wind it was much easier to handle the boat and Eva made some pretty cool drone footage of us rowing. We all felt very comfortable in our boat, and our confidence and desire to row the ocean grew. Finally having our boat and actually rowing it made things very real for us: in just 11 months time we will embark on an epic journey...