Solo unsupported rower Bhavik Gandhi: “It takes 1 month at sea to miss life on land - and just 1 day on land to miss life at sea”
"As far as I saw he was rowing on his own," said ABSAR's Joanathan Cornelius, in the image with Bhavik. "He (Gandhi) did arrive on the beach at approximately 21:45 GMT last Thursday. I was busy holding his boat and did not note the time right away, but it would have been right about that time. I did ask them (the coast guard) when they brought him in. They told me that he rowed all the way in.” (Click to enlarge).
"It takes 1 month at sea to miss life on land. And just 1 day on land to miss life at sea,” Bhavik wrote yesterday. “I'm having very mixed emotions being back on land. My body is very wobbly but I'm making a fast recovery from life at sea but I miss the peace and freedom." (Click to enlarge).
“There was a number of overwhelming moments during my last few hours at sea,” Bhavik recaps. “Rowing in the darkness and watching a dull red glowing cloud, reflecting the lights of Antigua ... Stressing about hitting the reefs in the dark ... The first radio contact with land in the dark, on VHF. Rain. Then sunrise in the morning revealing Antigua covered in low clouds. Rain again..." (Click to enlarge).
On June 15, after rowing the Atlantic Ocean for 106 days, and 3,456 nautical miles, Bhavik Ghandi arrived at a “beautiful white sandy beach of Antigua, at Jabberwaki Point,” as he described the place. The Ocean Rowing Society confirms the Indian rower has become the first Asian to complete an ocean rowing expedition – solo and unsupported (click to enlarge).
The first Asian to complete an Ocean Rowing Expedition solo and unassisted, land to land, Bhavik has made an incredible row, in spite of serious adversities even managing to beach. All live images over Contact 4.0 courtesy of Bhavik Gandhi (click to enlarge).
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Bhavik's dispatches
08:00 am EDT Jun 20, 2007
(TheOceans.net) On June 15, after rowing the Atlantic Ocean for 106 days, and 3,456 nautical miles, Bhavik Ghandi arrived at a “beautiful white sandy beach of Antigua, at Jabberwaki Point,” as he described the place. The Ocean Rowing Society confirms the Indian rower has become the first Asian to complete an ocean rowing expedition – solo and unsupported.
Kenneth F. Crutchlow, Executive Director of the Ocean Rowing Society explained that he had spoken to a member of Antigua Barbuda Search And Rescue (ABSAR), Jonathan Cornelius:
ABSAR: “He rowed all the way in”
“I did not go out to meet him since the coast guard had a boat in the area. They met him and escorted him through the reefs on the north side of Antigua. As far as I saw he was rowing on his own. He did arrive on the beach at approximately 21:45 GMT last Thursday. I was busy holding his boat and did not note the time right away, but it would have been right about that time. I did ask them when they brought him in. They told me that he rowed all the way in.”
Bhavik had no break until the very end of the expedition. “I had terrible wind conditions from the SE and after 10 hours of futile rowing trying to get to English Harbor and speaking to ABSAR, I changed my landfall point,” he reported after touching frm ground land – and sleeping for 18 hours.
“There was a number of overwhelming moments during my last few hours at sea,” Bhavik recaps. “Rowing in the darkness and watching a dull red glowing cloud, reflecting the lights of Antigua, appear on the horizon. The appearence of the strobe light high on the hills of Antigua. Stressing about hitting the reefs in the dark. Slowing the boat down with the sea anchor. Waiting for day light watching the boat drift closer and closer to shore as it dragged anchor."
"The first radio contact with land in the dark, on VHF. Rain. Then sunrise in the morning revealing Antigua covered in low clouds. Rain again. Watching clouds drift over the island. Then drift off the hills again. Watching the tops of buildings appear. Then trees. Seeing the first humans - coast guard officers - that came to escort me in."
"Finally the white sand the overwhelming smell of smoke, trees, flowers and land. Trying to make it into camp Blizzard. Pushed onto the reef by the winds. Trying to steer away. Hitting the reef. Coast guard officer getting into trouble in the water. Rowing the boat off the reef. Rowing it onto the white sand beach. Touching ground…”
Already missing the ocean’s peace and freedom
Bhavik is currently resting in the Caribbean Island – and already missing the Ocean. “It takes 1 month at sea to miss life on land. And just 1 day on land to miss life at sea,” he wrote yesterday. “I'm having very mixed emotions being back on land. My body is very wobbly but I'm making a fast recovery from life at sea but I miss the peace and freedom. I'm getting used to walking and the sores are subsiding.”
Bhavik Gandhi (India) has rowed from El Hierro (Canary Islands) to Antigua in the boat 'Miss Olive' - becoming the first Asian to row solo across the Atlantic. In spite of all the difficulties, Bhavik has kept the unsupported status though the 106 days-long trip. Bhavik rowed on his own power until touching land at a beach in Jabberwaki Point, Antigua, on June 15, 2007.
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