Luca Feser, Cutu Serruys and Matt Siely have become the fastest trio to row 2800 miles across the Pacific Ocean – in a bid to combat ocean pollution. Here, Luca describes coming across plastic bottles and much more in the middle of the ocean
Congratulations on completing the world’s toughest row, and breaking the world record for the fastest trio to row across the Pacific…how would you describe the experience?
One word we all keep using is, numbing. Especially during the first two weeks, conditions were extremely tough on our bodies and minds. We had extreme highs and extreme lows. Both these experiences cost us a lot of energy and to complete the row successfully, this was something we could not afford. This meant over time, subconsciously, we started numbing ourselves from the emotional rollercoaster. We know, over time, the numbness will disappear, and we will remember all the wonderful times we had on the boat. From seeing whales and flying fish, to experiencing our first sunrise and sunset. It will be very hard to put into words the unbelievable feeling we had when being submerged into pure nature for 38 days. Further, there are not many situations that will be able to replicate the feelings we had during our crossing in our daily lives. As a trio, it will be emotions that only the three of us will ever be able to share together – this is something special.
Did you learn anything about yourselves that you didn’t know before?
Of course, the cliché of being at an all-time low and realising what you are made of, comes to mind. Each of us had different lows and various times. To overcome these lows, we had to show resilience. More personally, I learnt how to not only show resilience externally to others but how to portray resilience internally to myself. At times, convincing yourself that no matter what the next obstacle is, it’s just another small hurdle until the finish line. It helped in these situations to think about life in 20 years and looking back on the 38 days and how that would only be a small speck in time and in the memory.
How much pollution did you come across and did it shock you to find even one plastic bottle in the middle of the ocean?
A LOT! We knew we would see a lot, but it hits differently when you see it in person. We wished more of our followers would see it in person because it’s a kind of gut-wrenching experience. Coming out of the cabin in the morning, after waking up, and first thing you see alongside a wonderful sunrise is crates of rubbish and nettings. Again, it’s this strange experience of high and lows simultaneously. We saw a lot of fishing litter such as nettings and crates, as well as daily plastic objects such as water bottles, tennis balls and large kitchen equipment.
Have you recovered from the experience and what’s it like returning to real life on dry land?
The physical recovery is still going on. It can vary with each rower but can take a whole month to start feeling in good shape again. The skin on the hands is also slowly recovering and any blisters are healing. Many people have asked about our legs. The first few days, walking was more difficult but that quickly restored. We have lost a fair bit of leg muscle because throughout the row, we would hardly ever stand on the boat. Again, time will heal all this. Psychologically, again each rower is slightly different. For me, it strangely took a few weeks to not feel tired when holding a conversation. As we only slept on average three hours per day, the body still needs time to get back into a more sustainable sleeping pattern. Further, on the boat we had no real understanding of time. Time just stood still. We had no meetings to attend, no dinners to reach or any other commitments. Now back on land, the only way to describe it is that our time stood still but everyone else’s continued. An interesting sensation.
How much money have you raised so far for The Ocean Cleanup and can people still support you?
We are very close to hitting the £10k mark! We are still keen to keep going and appreciate anyone’s support through this GoFundMe link.
What’s next for you all – and would you do it again?
Team HODL, of course, will live in our hearts forever. Does this mean we will do another ocean row? Who knows…
Regarding everyone’s next steps, Cutu is moving abroad to be in the sun (apparently the Pacific was not enough!), while Matt is returning to work very shortly. I’m continuing the business I have been building called Beanut, the first banking service that supports solely restaurants beanut.co.uk.
Team HODL (Hold On for Dear Life) completed in the World’s Toughest Row in 38 days 16 hours 19 minutes. To donate, visit Fundraiser by Luca Feser : Pacific Ocean Row for Ocean Plastic Pollution (gofundme.com).
Featured image of (left to right) Cutu Serruys, Luca Feser, and Matt Siely (picture credit: World’s Toughest Row)
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