[IMAGE CREDITS GO TO THE ATLANTIC DASH AND CHANGING TIDES ROW]
MISSION LOG 005: WHEN EVERYTHING GOES SIDEWAYS (LITERALLY)
Location: The Atlantic Ocean
Date: 6th March 2026
Mission Status: Phase Two – The Row
Operative: JJ Bear
Classification Level: PUBLIC
If you’ve been following Operation PAWSIBLE for the calm, predictable updates… well, buckle up. The last 72 hours have been anything but routine.
First, the good news
We crossed the halfway point on 25th February. HALFWAY. After weeks of chasing that milestone, we finally made it.
Currently, we’re at 67.7% complete. We’ve pushed well past halfway and we’re now solidly into the final half of this crossing. Our projected arrival date in Antigua is now 25th March: less than three weeks to go.
Now, about those last 72 hours…
When Technology Decides to Mutiny
It started with the YB tracker.
Imagine trying to rest between your two-hour rowing shifts while a high-pitched electronic scream pierces through everything. Sleep becomes impossible.
In attempting to fix the beeping, contact was made with the safety officers via Starlink. This is where things got complicated. The communication attempt appeared to fry our already struggling batteries.
Suddenly, we were facing a cascading failure; batteries depleted, the beeping draining what little power remained in the tracker, and both InReach charging cables no longer working due to saltwater damage.
The only reliable contact method became texting the satellite phone. There was a genuine moment where we thought we might go dark, just us and the Atlantic, with no way to tell anyone where we were or that we were okay.
The support team back home still had options for keeping us safe, but those options were fewer than anyone would like. It’s a sobering reminder of just how isolated we are out here.
Thankfully, the batteries weren’t completely dead. The crew managed to coax a trickle of charge back in, received the sat phone messages, and reset the tracker. Crisis averted. Temporarily.
And Then We Capsized.
As if the technical failures weren’t dramatic enough, the Atlantic decided to remind us exactly who’s in charge.
The boat went over, all the way upside down.
Twice.
The crew said it happened so fast that they were the right way up almost before they realised they were upside down. One moment you’re rowing through heavy swell, the next the world is spinning, water is everywhere, and then, somehow, you’re upright again, soaked and trying to process what just happened.
The Current Situation
We’ve been hit by rain showers through the night. Now, the fresh water is somewhat welcome, as it gives us a chance to rinse off the salt. It’s also, however, adding to the general state of everything being soaked.
Water made its way into the phone charging ports during the capsizes, so they’re being dried out before attempting to use them again. Power has to be reserved for essential systems only. This means limited updates and, really, limited everything beyond what’s absolutely necessary to keep moving west.
They’re keeping daily mileage consistent at around 50 miles with strict rotating 2-hour shifts. Even through capsizes and technical failures, they keep rowing.
You might not hear from us as frequently over the next few days, since every bit of battery life has to go toward navigation, safety systems, and keeping the boat moving.
But we’re still here, heading west one nautical mile at a time.
The crew is definitely earning every single one of those beers waiting for them in Antigua!
Less than three weeks to go. We’ve come too far to turn back now.
JJ Bear, signing off