Location: Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Date: 23rd January 2026
Mission Status: Phase One – Preparation
Operative: JJ Bear
Classification Level: PUBLIC
This is it. Tomorrow, we row away from land. The Atlantic waits for no one, and tomorrow, she’ll test everything we’ve trained for.
These last few days have been relentless. I’ve watched the Changing Tides Row crew put themselves through every scenario and emergency drill and refresh every skill they might need out there, when land is just a memory on the horizon.
Equipment has been fixed, adjusted, secured, and fixed again. Nothing is left to chance.
I should probably mention something about the team I’m rowing alongside. Sean and Jonny aren’t just taking on the Atlantic. They’re planning to make history as the first men to row it in full drag. Meet their alter egos: Dixie Normous and Drillia Hard.
That’s the kind of fearless, authentic crew I want beside me when facing down 3,200 miles of ocean. They’re not afraid to be bold and stand out, all in service of causes that matter.
Through all of this, the support from home has been extraordinary! These past couple of weeks, donations and messages of support have been coming in steadily, and it means more than anyone could know. Your support reminds us why we’re doing this. On the hard days ahead (and there will be hard days), we’ll remember.
Tomorrow, we push off. Lanzarote will shrink behind us until it’s nothing but a smudge on the horizon, then nothing at all. For the next 60-80 days, home will be this boat and the endless Atlantic around us.
The goal is clear: Antigua, 3,200 miles west across open water. But between here and there lies one of the most challenging stretches of ocean on Earth. We could be facing unpredictable weather, twenty-foot waves, and days of relentless sun. Every limit will be tested out there.
But here’s what the ocean doesn’t know: this crew doesn’t quit.
Stay close, and keep watching, because once we’re out there, the real adventure begins.
Tomorrow, we row into the unknown. I’ll check in when we’re underway. Until then, keep the faith.
JJ Bear, signing off.