On Sunday next, December 6, Seán McGowan will begin his journey from the Canary Islands and then slowly, but surely make his way across 2,500 nautical miles, which could take up to 100 days, before finally arriving at Antigua in the Caribbean.
Rowing across the Atlantic represents the fulfillment of a personal dream for the 41-year-old man who is originally from Farranshore, but who now lives in Raheen with wife Lorraine and four children, Rachel, Daniel, Patrick and Chloe.
An engineer by trade Seán was a senior manager with Dell for several years before joining business consultants Prodigium.
For the past two years Seán has trained relentlessly for the challenge ahead, but now, with his departure just days away, he’s a little edgy.
“At this stage I’m looking forward to it, but I am a little bit anxious,” Seán told Leader Sport.
“The family arrived this morning (Monday, November 30) and while it is great to see them it has been a bit emotional. I will spend some time with them, but it is going to be difficult to leave them on Sunday.
“The kids are okay about the whole thing. They are more excited about it than anything else. It’s more difficult for my wife Lorraine. Lorraine is nervous, she’s supportive, but she’s anxious as well. On Sunday it is sure to be terribly emotional.
“I have tried to prepare myself for that. I’ve heard about the hardest of men breaking down as they leave the harbour so that will be a test.”
Seán joined Shannon Rowing Club at the age of 14, but he didn’t become fixated with rowing across the Atlantic until 1997 when Arklow’s Eamonn and Peter Kavanagh became the first Irishmen to successfully row across that vast expanse of water.
Only 153 people have managed the feat that Seán McGowan is about to attempt.
“I certainly am attempting to join a very exclusive club,” Seán added.
“It’s a daunting challenge, but that’s what makes it so great. You talk to some sailors and they say it’s a crazy thing to attempt, but I’ve tried to reduce the risk involved.
“Like anything it’s a challenge. You have a choice - you either walk away from a challenge or you meet it and beat it. There are always two ways to look at things. You can either get depressed about things or you can take life on. You have to stand up and get on with things. You have to move on. For some people it’s a challenge to get up in the morning. This is the challenge I have dreamed about. You must break down a challenge into smaller pieces. That’s what I’m trying to do. You start off and you eat the elephant, bite by bite. If you persevere you can do anything. That’s what I believe.”
Seán McGowan’s vessel (christened ‘Tess’ in honour of the late Tess O’Connor, a close friend of the family), is 24-feet long, at its broadest point is six-feet wide and weighs a tonne. Seán will sleep in a cabin at the stern (back) while two solar panels will power a desalination unit which will provide the Limerickman with fresh water. Seán McGowan will carry 100 days of food in ration packs while his boat is also equipped with a VHF radio, two satellite phones and a radar system to alert other crafts to his position.
Seán knows that he faces a treacherous journey which poses a very real threat to his personal safety.
“The threat to my personal safety is something I have to think about. It would be silly not to,” Seán admitted.
“I’ve got to prepare and mitigate against the possibility of the worst happening. I’ve done all the training and I know what to do if the worst happens. I know there will be times when I will face big seas and that the boat could go over. The boat is designed to self-right itself unless the hatch is open, but if the worst does happen I will be ready.”
Seán McGowan will be at the mercy of the ocean, 30-60ft waves and the elements and while he will also ask his body to get through the equivalent of four marathons a day the biggest challenge the Limerickman will face is a mental one.
“Even in training there were huge highs and lows,” Seán McGowan explained this week.
“My journey across the Atlantic will be the same. If you think about the highs too much then the lows will be even greater. I’ve got to try and take the emotion out of it and break my task down into steps.
“It’s like a book. A book starts with a capital letter, then a word, then a sentence, then a paragraph, then a page and then a chapter. That’s the way to look at it. Take it step by step and make it a mechanical exercise. If I allow emotion to take control of me it could take a lot out of me and I can’t allow that to happen.”
Seán McGowan hopes to raise one million rand (€80,000) for the Soweto Connection, a charity founded by UL lecturers Sheila Killian and John Lannon which aims to build a nutrition centre for families in South Africa.
For more information please see: www.atlantic09.com or www.sowetoconnection.org
BRIAN MCDONNELL
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