1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:25,726 --> 00:00:28,996 [suspenseful music] 4 00:00:36,604 --> 00:00:39,940 [suspenseful music continues] 5 00:00:44,445 --> 00:00:45,779 [waves lapping] 6 00:00:48,682 --> 00:00:51,785 [music tempo increases: dramatic instrumental] 7 00:01:05,466 --> 00:01:10,504 * 8 00:01:20,114 --> 00:01:23,817 [man] It is miserable out here. Absolutely miserable. 9 00:01:24,185 --> 00:01:25,653 You're sweating so much 10 00:01:25,753 --> 00:01:27,688 your two-hour shift feels like four. 11 00:01:28,489 --> 00:01:30,591 Um, so, I'm just being down so. 12 00:01:31,359 --> 00:01:32,660 It's kind of quiet on the boat today. 13 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:34,295 Everyone is just kind of in their own heads 14 00:01:34,395 --> 00:01:35,796 trying to get through their shifts. 15 00:01:36,797 --> 00:01:40,468 [suspenseful music] 16 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,842 [Jason] Why would anyone want to row across an ocean? 17 00:01:50,511 --> 00:01:52,946 Or climb Mount Everest, for that matter? 18 00:01:53,414 --> 00:01:55,283 Or run across a desert? 19 00:01:57,551 --> 00:01:59,687 What type of person does this? 20 00:02:00,688 --> 00:02:02,156 * 21 00:02:02,256 --> 00:02:05,125 The effort chews you up and spits you out 22 00:02:05,226 --> 00:02:08,061 until you're essentially unrecognizable to yourself. 23 00:02:09,530 --> 00:02:11,299 You sacrifice time with your family. 24 00:02:12,733 --> 00:02:14,968 It punishes you. It humbles you. 25 00:02:15,068 --> 00:02:16,304 It breaks you. 26 00:02:17,638 --> 00:02:19,873 So why would anybody do it then? 27 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:25,913 For myself and for my teammates, 28 00:02:26,013 --> 00:02:29,217 it was because we were chasing something... 29 00:02:30,050 --> 00:02:32,220 and we didn't know what it was 30 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:33,921 until it was all over. 31 00:02:34,555 --> 00:02:38,792 [dramatic orchestral music] 32 00:02:54,975 --> 00:02:57,745 Everyone has something they dream of achieving. 33 00:02:59,313 --> 00:03:01,048 If you had asked me at seven-years old 34 00:03:01,148 --> 00:03:04,084 what my dream was, it was to be a baseball player. 35 00:03:05,118 --> 00:03:06,954 Just like any other seven-year-old's dream 36 00:03:07,054 --> 00:03:08,656 of being an astronaut, 37 00:03:08,756 --> 00:03:12,993 a ballerina, musician, teacher, a doctor. 38 00:03:15,095 --> 00:03:16,697 But all of us are really saying, though, 39 00:03:16,797 --> 00:03:18,899 is that we want to be the best at something. 40 00:03:20,734 --> 00:03:21,969 The older you get, 41 00:03:22,069 --> 00:03:23,337 the harder it is to pursue those dreams. 42 00:03:24,605 --> 00:03:26,407 But they're still there. 43 00:03:28,276 --> 00:03:30,444 So, the question is, why do we give up 44 00:03:30,544 --> 00:03:31,845 on our dreams? 45 00:03:33,947 --> 00:03:36,784 This is my story, but it can be anyone's story. 46 00:03:37,518 --> 00:03:39,052 It's about what happens 47 00:03:39,152 --> 00:03:40,654 when you're faced with failure 48 00:03:40,754 --> 00:03:42,556 and what kind of person that makes you. 49 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,228 [waves crashing] 50 00:03:53,767 --> 00:03:56,404 The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. 51 00:03:58,639 --> 00:04:01,675 World's toughest rowing race. 52 00:04:03,043 --> 00:04:04,845 [fast-paced adventure music] 53 00:04:04,945 --> 00:04:10,318 A 3,000-mile rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean. 54 00:04:10,984 --> 00:04:13,421 * 55 00:04:13,521 --> 00:04:15,456 The race attracts up to 30 teams 56 00:04:15,556 --> 00:04:16,757 from all over the world. 57 00:04:17,925 --> 00:04:21,929 Teams of four, pairs and solos. 58 00:04:23,531 --> 00:04:26,600 It's a challenge that pits you against the elements 24/7. 59 00:04:27,835 --> 00:04:30,804 * 60 00:04:30,904 --> 00:04:32,272 It's unassisted. 61 00:04:34,975 --> 00:04:36,777 You have to take all your own food 62 00:04:36,877 --> 00:04:38,379 for up to 90 days 63 00:04:38,479 --> 00:04:40,748 and use a desalinator for making drinking water. 64 00:04:43,784 --> 00:04:45,018 And there's no stopping. 65 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,622 Over one and a half million strokes. 66 00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:50,791 All day and all night. 67 00:04:50,891 --> 00:04:53,160 [fast-paced suspenseful music] 68 00:04:54,795 --> 00:04:56,229 Until you set foot on land. 69 00:04:57,931 --> 00:04:59,400 [splashing] 70 00:05:02,403 --> 00:05:03,537 When I first heard about it, 71 00:05:03,637 --> 00:05:05,373 I thought, "This seems impossible." 72 00:05:05,473 --> 00:05:06,774 I mean, I'm a rower, 73 00:05:06,874 --> 00:05:09,810 but rowing 3,000 miles across an ocean 74 00:05:09,910 --> 00:05:11,979 seems just removed from reality. 75 00:05:13,013 --> 00:05:14,615 You've got moms that are crossing this. 76 00:05:14,715 --> 00:05:16,984 You've got people that have gone through war 77 00:05:17,084 --> 00:05:19,987 and then are missing limbs and that are doing this. 78 00:05:20,488 --> 00:05:22,390 You see recovering drug addicts. 79 00:05:22,823 --> 00:05:24,525 People that had gone through failed marriages, 80 00:05:25,225 --> 00:05:27,227 people that have a void to fill. 81 00:05:28,295 --> 00:05:29,997 And I don't think I was any different than that. 82 00:05:31,965 --> 00:05:33,434 [calm melodic orchestral music] 83 00:05:33,534 --> 00:05:35,769 [Amelia] I think The Talisker Atlantic Race 84 00:05:36,470 --> 00:05:38,071 is unlike anything he'd ever heard of. 85 00:05:38,572 --> 00:05:40,408 I know when he first brought it to my attention 86 00:05:40,508 --> 00:05:42,743 that he had found this race, he was astounded. 87 00:05:42,843 --> 00:05:44,778 He couldn't believe that people could actually do this. 88 00:05:44,878 --> 00:05:47,448 So, he almost became a bit obsessed with researching it 89 00:05:47,548 --> 00:05:49,617 and finding out how do people do this 90 00:05:49,717 --> 00:05:50,884 and the intricacies of it. 91 00:05:50,984 --> 00:05:52,553 The more that he researched it, 92 00:05:52,653 --> 00:05:54,622 the more he kind of fell in love with the idea of, 93 00:05:54,722 --> 00:05:56,056 "I could do this." 94 00:05:56,156 --> 00:05:58,058 And I think the idea of doing something 95 00:05:58,158 --> 00:06:01,128 that seemed impossible was very romantic to him. 96 00:06:01,895 --> 00:06:04,998 I had no idea really what was in store. 97 00:06:06,066 --> 00:06:07,435 [Gary] When somebody says, 98 00:06:07,535 --> 00:06:08,769 "I'm going to row across the Atlantic Ocean," 99 00:06:08,869 --> 00:06:12,272 you know, I just didn't understand it. 100 00:06:12,973 --> 00:06:15,443 Trust me, I had people that said, "You got to be kidding me. 101 00:06:15,843 --> 00:06:16,877 What is he doing?" 102 00:06:18,011 --> 00:06:19,947 [Jason] There're two types of people entering this race. 103 00:06:20,047 --> 00:06:22,750 The first type of person or team was 104 00:06:22,850 --> 00:06:24,818 a team just trying to represent their country 105 00:06:24,918 --> 00:06:27,287 or their charity and just complete the race. 106 00:06:27,387 --> 00:06:29,523 Just try to literally get to the finish line. 107 00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:32,092 And the others were trying to win the race 108 00:06:32,192 --> 00:06:33,694 or potentially break a world record. 109 00:06:33,794 --> 00:06:35,529 I knew that I was going to be in the latter. 110 00:06:35,629 --> 00:06:37,064 There's no way that I was going to dedicate 111 00:06:37,164 --> 00:06:38,699 18 months of my life and do this 112 00:06:38,799 --> 00:06:40,734 and work as hard as that to simply just finish. 113 00:06:40,834 --> 00:06:42,235 I wanted to win. 114 00:06:42,335 --> 00:06:44,071 And potentially even break a world record. 115 00:06:44,972 --> 00:06:50,678 And I allow myself to once again dream like a seven-year-old. 116 00:06:53,213 --> 00:06:54,982 [fast clicking] 117 00:06:56,116 --> 00:06:58,085 [clicking slows then stops] 118 00:06:59,386 --> 00:07:01,489 [Ardell] Jason's dad and I separated, 119 00:07:01,589 --> 00:07:03,991 divorced when he was-- Jason was five-years old. 120 00:07:04,592 --> 00:07:07,728 One week on with dad, one week on with mom. 121 00:07:08,496 --> 00:07:10,263 [Jason] Going to my dad's certainly, it wasn't-- 122 00:07:10,363 --> 00:07:12,566 it wasn't that it wasn't loving, but it was intense. 123 00:07:12,666 --> 00:07:13,901 There was an intensity to it. 124 00:07:14,001 --> 00:07:16,269 I remember having to almost pump myself up 125 00:07:16,369 --> 00:07:17,971 knowing that after school, like, 126 00:07:18,071 --> 00:07:19,673 that week was going to be a tougher week, 127 00:07:19,773 --> 00:07:22,743 more filled with structure and discipline. 128 00:07:25,078 --> 00:07:26,246 [player] You can do it. 129 00:07:27,615 --> 00:07:28,716 [man] Strike! 130 00:07:29,049 --> 00:07:30,484 [Gary] Good job, Jason. Good job, buddy. 131 00:07:32,119 --> 00:07:33,987 [Jason] Baseball was a soundtrack of my childhood. 132 00:07:34,988 --> 00:07:36,824 It seemed like everything that my dad and I did 133 00:07:36,924 --> 00:07:39,627 revolved around baseball to some extent or another. 134 00:07:40,794 --> 00:07:42,229 I thought I loved baseball, 135 00:07:42,329 --> 00:07:44,865 but I-- I loved my dad and he loved baseball. 136 00:07:45,633 --> 00:07:47,034 He was passionate about the sport. 137 00:07:47,134 --> 00:07:48,435 He loved the sport. 138 00:07:49,637 --> 00:07:52,840 [fans chatting] 139 00:07:54,675 --> 00:07:55,943 [fans] Oh. 140 00:07:56,043 --> 00:07:57,645 Well, when Jason decided he wanted to be 141 00:07:57,745 --> 00:07:59,046 a-- a Major League Baseball player 142 00:07:59,146 --> 00:08:01,148 at ten years old, I took that 143 00:08:01,248 --> 00:08:03,584 just like you should take it from a ten-year-old. 144 00:08:03,684 --> 00:08:06,654 And that's that, "Okay, let's see what 145 00:08:06,754 --> 00:08:08,756 we can do to-- to get you on that path." 146 00:08:08,856 --> 00:08:11,792 [Jason] I come into the backyard and there's this structure. 147 00:08:12,492 --> 00:08:13,861 And maybe for a second I thought, 148 00:08:13,961 --> 00:08:16,029 'Oh, my dad made a fort 149 00:08:16,129 --> 00:08:17,931 or some kind of a play structure for me.' 150 00:08:18,031 --> 00:08:19,432 But it wasn't. 151 00:08:19,533 --> 00:08:21,234 It was-- it was a means to getting better. 152 00:08:22,002 --> 00:08:24,672 Growing up, I played baseball as far as I could go, 153 00:08:24,772 --> 00:08:27,507 and I understood the art of hitting. 154 00:08:27,608 --> 00:08:30,944 I sent him up a net and a tee and I said, 155 00:08:31,044 --> 00:08:33,714 "This is what you need to be doing on your off time. 156 00:08:33,814 --> 00:08:35,115 Hit that bucket of balls. 157 00:08:35,816 --> 00:08:38,819 Don't hit 30, don't hit 60, hit all 62, 158 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:40,387 and then fill it back up." 159 00:08:42,089 --> 00:08:43,624 [Jason] So, when my friends were out playing, 160 00:08:43,724 --> 00:08:45,258 out on their bikes, having a good time, 161 00:08:45,358 --> 00:08:48,028 I was in the backyard hitting balls off that tee. 162 00:08:51,131 --> 00:08:52,733 And he didn't force me to do it. 163 00:08:52,833 --> 00:08:55,769 But if you didn't then you weren't doing what it took. 164 00:08:55,869 --> 00:08:58,371 "You told me you wanted to be a professional baseball player. 165 00:08:58,471 --> 00:09:00,340 Here's the bucket. You're not hitting them. 166 00:09:00,841 --> 00:09:01,875 I don't believe you." 167 00:09:01,975 --> 00:09:03,543 [twack] 168 00:09:07,948 --> 00:09:09,382 When I went up to Sonoma, 169 00:09:09,482 --> 00:09:10,751 pitching was my best bet. 170 00:09:11,785 --> 00:09:12,886 I'm left-handed. 171 00:09:13,253 --> 00:09:15,222 I can throw hard, I'm tall, I'm strong. 172 00:09:16,724 --> 00:09:19,126 [Gary] Sonoma State was very good. 173 00:09:19,226 --> 00:09:21,528 They had asked him to go and play in the summer 174 00:09:21,629 --> 00:09:25,165 for the semi-pro team, San Francisco Angels. 175 00:09:25,265 --> 00:09:26,734 * 176 00:09:26,834 --> 00:09:28,602 [Jason] At that moment, that was my best shot. 177 00:09:31,071 --> 00:09:32,572 [Ardell] There were times where I know 178 00:09:32,673 --> 00:09:35,108 he-- he worked really hard and-- and didn't do well. 179 00:09:35,208 --> 00:09:37,044 He wasn't considered at the top. 180 00:09:38,278 --> 00:09:40,814 I, at the time, was-- was a little bit concerned 181 00:09:40,914 --> 00:09:43,250 that what if he doesn't make it? 182 00:09:43,350 --> 00:09:45,619 And would that be such a terrible letdown 183 00:09:45,719 --> 00:09:47,688 to him or even his dad? 184 00:09:48,521 --> 00:09:50,658 And so there was a part of me that were saying, 185 00:09:50,758 --> 00:09:53,627 "I didn't want the sport to define the person he was." 186 00:09:54,928 --> 00:09:56,797 [cheering and clapping] 187 00:09:58,365 --> 00:10:01,669 [Jason] But on the 24th of July, 2004, everything changed. 188 00:10:03,704 --> 00:10:07,074 In the third inning, one pitch, you just hear this pop. 189 00:10:07,174 --> 00:10:08,541 [witnesses] Oh. 190 00:10:08,642 --> 00:10:10,177 [Jason] People in the dugout could hear it. 191 00:10:11,244 --> 00:10:12,713 And all of a sudden, I just-- 192 00:10:13,346 --> 00:10:15,548 I can't-- I can't throw. 193 00:10:15,649 --> 00:10:17,184 [X-ray machine beeps] 194 00:10:17,284 --> 00:10:18,886 [Gary] He had done some damage to his-- his elbow. 195 00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:22,823 [Jason] The tendon is completely ripped in half. 196 00:10:23,490 --> 00:10:26,660 And that-- that was a tough crossroad. 197 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:27,995 [slow melancholy music] 198 00:10:28,095 --> 00:10:30,030 I remember being at the doctor's office 199 00:10:30,130 --> 00:10:32,733 and us asking the questions, 200 00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:36,103 "What happens if I do have the surgery? 201 00:10:36,203 --> 00:10:37,705 How long is the rehab?" 202 00:10:37,805 --> 00:10:39,306 Which would have been about a year. 203 00:10:39,406 --> 00:10:43,811 Versus if you don't have the surgery, you'll be fine. 204 00:10:43,911 --> 00:10:45,578 It just you won't be able to throw the ball 205 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,247 90 miles an hour like you are now. 206 00:10:49,016 --> 00:10:50,751 [Jason] They're throwing this information like it's nothing, 207 00:10:50,851 --> 00:10:53,386 but it's a lot to me, and it's-- I'm overwhelmed. 208 00:10:54,521 --> 00:10:56,189 Being in a brace for six months, 209 00:10:56,289 --> 00:10:59,392 my senior year of college, that didn't sit right with me. 210 00:11:00,493 --> 00:11:01,862 I'm thinking about all night. 211 00:11:01,962 --> 00:11:03,731 I was dreading making that call to my dad. 212 00:11:03,831 --> 00:11:05,032 I called him. I said, 213 00:11:05,132 --> 00:11:06,633 "I am not going to get the surgery." 214 00:11:07,234 --> 00:11:08,702 And his response was, 215 00:11:08,802 --> 00:11:10,603 "I don't think you're making the right decision 216 00:11:11,271 --> 00:11:13,006 and I think you need to think about it again." 217 00:11:14,207 --> 00:11:15,909 And I said, "Oh, okay. 218 00:11:16,009 --> 00:11:17,377 I mean, I can think about it again, 219 00:11:17,477 --> 00:11:18,645 but this is my decision." 220 00:11:18,746 --> 00:11:19,747 He said, "You should think about it. 221 00:11:19,847 --> 00:11:21,114 Call me back in an hour." 222 00:11:21,214 --> 00:11:22,649 And then he did call me and he said, 223 00:11:22,750 --> 00:11:24,584 "Dad, I'm-- I'm not going to have the surgery. 224 00:11:24,684 --> 00:11:25,819 I-- I think I'm done." 225 00:11:29,389 --> 00:11:31,291 [Jason] Like, this was my dad's dream and not mine. 226 00:11:31,391 --> 00:11:36,897 And that made him so pissed that we didn't talk for months. 227 00:11:38,431 --> 00:11:40,467 But once Jason made that decision, 228 00:11:40,567 --> 00:11:42,435 there was a sense of relief. 229 00:11:43,636 --> 00:11:45,739 [Jason] I didn't know what I was going to do next, 230 00:11:47,074 --> 00:11:49,642 but I was okay with it not being baseball. 231 00:11:52,312 --> 00:11:54,147 [Jason] School starts again. 232 00:11:54,247 --> 00:11:55,949 I'm drifting at this point. 233 00:11:56,049 --> 00:11:57,417 I'm at the gym working out, 234 00:11:57,517 --> 00:11:59,019 but I don't know what I'm working out for. 235 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:03,456 The worst thing in the world for me as an athlete, 236 00:12:03,556 --> 00:12:07,460 it's not having anything to compete for it, to be a part of. 237 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:10,330 And this guy comes up to me. 238 00:12:10,430 --> 00:12:13,166 [Mark] As a coach, you're always on the lookout 239 00:12:13,266 --> 00:12:15,235 for the next great athlete. 240 00:12:15,335 --> 00:12:17,670 Jason, specifically, I could tell 241 00:12:17,771 --> 00:12:19,973 he had really strong focus from the beginning. 242 00:12:20,073 --> 00:12:21,508 [Jason] He says, "You know, I'm the rowing coach 243 00:12:21,608 --> 00:12:22,943 here at Sonoma 244 00:12:23,043 --> 00:12:24,845 and I think you'd be pretty good at rowing." 245 00:12:25,345 --> 00:12:27,380 [Amelia] He kind of plucked him out of a dark spot. 246 00:12:29,016 --> 00:12:30,650 [Mark] So, the Sonoma State Rowing Program 247 00:12:30,750 --> 00:12:34,287 was the newest program in the country at that point. 248 00:12:34,387 --> 00:12:36,023 It was a complete shit show. 249 00:12:36,123 --> 00:12:38,859 So, first of all I show up and it's not a boathouse. 250 00:12:38,959 --> 00:12:42,429 It was a boat yard full of gravel and shipping containers. 251 00:12:43,163 --> 00:12:45,565 I've been used to intense try outs 252 00:12:45,665 --> 00:12:47,700 where everybody goes there is good 253 00:12:47,801 --> 00:12:49,269 and they're eyeing the competition. 254 00:12:50,103 --> 00:12:52,072 I was too good for these people. That's what I thought. 255 00:12:52,172 --> 00:12:53,406 Too good for this. 256 00:12:54,274 --> 00:12:57,110 [Mark] While I think sports like baseball 257 00:12:57,210 --> 00:12:59,512 can be phenomenal team sports, 258 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:01,815 they don't have that deep connection 259 00:13:01,915 --> 00:13:03,483 as an individual player. 260 00:13:04,117 --> 00:13:05,986 In rowing, you're all doing the same thing. 261 00:13:06,086 --> 00:13:07,654 And if you're not together, 262 00:13:07,754 --> 00:13:09,656 you're lost before you've even begun. 263 00:13:11,758 --> 00:13:15,528 [Mike] Jason is a very big, intimidating person, 264 00:13:15,628 --> 00:13:17,130 and he really wanted to win 265 00:13:17,230 --> 00:13:19,466 and he wanted everybody to work as hard as him. 266 00:13:20,433 --> 00:13:22,569 He definitely rubs a certain type of person 267 00:13:22,669 --> 00:13:25,105 the wrong way. And there was a-- 268 00:13:25,205 --> 00:13:26,840 Somebody on our team that told him, 269 00:13:27,507 --> 00:13:29,642 "People are only pulling because they're scared of you." 270 00:13:31,211 --> 00:13:32,345 Yeah, I was a hothead. 271 00:13:32,846 --> 00:13:34,781 And I thought that that showed a level of passion. 272 00:13:34,882 --> 00:13:37,184 But that's-- that's immaturity there. 273 00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:41,621 I was shocked by how little I knew what it meant 274 00:13:41,721 --> 00:13:43,991 to be part of a team until I got into rowing. 275 00:13:44,424 --> 00:13:47,294 Rowing is so interdependent. 276 00:13:47,394 --> 00:13:49,362 If you take one person out of the boat, 277 00:13:49,462 --> 00:13:51,098 the thing completely crumbles. 278 00:13:51,198 --> 00:13:54,267 There is no rugged individualism. 279 00:13:55,202 --> 00:13:58,538 And I started to fall in love with that team aspect. 280 00:13:59,072 --> 00:14:01,374 Mike sat eight seat, the stroke seat, I sat seven. 281 00:14:01,474 --> 00:14:03,210 I can tell you every single T-shirt he owns 282 00:14:03,310 --> 00:14:05,645 as I stare at the back of him. 283 00:14:05,745 --> 00:14:07,647 I see after we were doing the piece, 284 00:14:07,747 --> 00:14:09,449 how he would almost collapse upon himself 285 00:14:09,549 --> 00:14:11,151 because he had given everything. 286 00:14:11,251 --> 00:14:13,686 And I loved that about him. 287 00:14:13,786 --> 00:14:17,257 And I was scared to death of not doing the same thing. 288 00:14:18,358 --> 00:14:20,593 You're more afraid of letting them down 289 00:14:20,693 --> 00:14:22,295 than you were of the pain 290 00:14:22,395 --> 00:14:24,097 that you were going to go through at that practice. 291 00:14:24,197 --> 00:14:27,034 And that is a strong human emotion. 292 00:14:29,369 --> 00:14:30,703 [Mark] And Jason is one of those people 293 00:14:30,803 --> 00:14:32,672 who won't let anybody down. 294 00:14:32,772 --> 00:14:36,376 That nature in him really made him perfect 295 00:14:36,476 --> 00:14:37,644 for the sport of rowing. 296 00:14:39,246 --> 00:14:42,916 I realized, no, I did not love baseball because this is love. 297 00:14:44,717 --> 00:14:46,987 One of the things that was so apparent 298 00:14:47,087 --> 00:14:50,958 about the sport of rowing was that it was mine. 299 00:14:53,193 --> 00:14:56,029 * 300 00:14:59,432 --> 00:15:01,034 [Angus] When Jason called me. 301 00:15:01,134 --> 00:15:03,270 He told me that he was trying to put a team together 302 00:15:03,370 --> 00:15:06,406 and I'd already semi-committed to another team. 303 00:15:07,574 --> 00:15:10,343 And I knew that Jason had the right mind frame 304 00:15:10,443 --> 00:15:13,346 to get a record or win the race, 305 00:15:14,247 --> 00:15:16,383 and I wanted to be part of that. 306 00:15:17,284 --> 00:15:19,386 [Jason] Angus was my first pick. 307 00:15:19,486 --> 00:15:23,623 He won the race last year, set the course record, 308 00:15:23,723 --> 00:15:25,725 and he was the skipper of that team. 309 00:15:25,825 --> 00:15:27,194 [announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, 310 00:15:27,294 --> 00:15:29,729 37 days, nine hours and 12 minutes. 311 00:15:29,829 --> 00:15:31,264 New race record. 312 00:15:31,364 --> 00:15:33,633 [cheering] 313 00:15:34,134 --> 00:15:36,269 [Jason] There's a lot of reasons to want Angus on your team. 314 00:15:36,369 --> 00:15:37,737 A lot of them. 315 00:15:38,105 --> 00:15:41,341 Angus has got over 100 days of ocean rowing experience. 316 00:15:41,441 --> 00:15:44,311 He's rode the Indian Ocean as well as the Atlantic. 317 00:15:45,312 --> 00:15:48,248 He's one of the most experienced ocean rowers alive today. 318 00:15:48,348 --> 00:15:49,882 He builds boats for a living. 319 00:15:50,583 --> 00:15:53,953 Angus is part of a family legacy of ocean rowers. 320 00:15:54,054 --> 00:15:56,889 His uncle had actually broken the world record 321 00:15:56,990 --> 00:16:00,427 as the fastest solo rower to row across the Atlantic Ocean. 322 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,896 His sister has also rowed across the Atlantic Ocean 323 00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:06,066 with her team breaking the world record 324 00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:08,168 as the fastest all-women's crew 325 00:16:08,268 --> 00:16:10,203 to ever row across the Atlantic Ocean. 326 00:16:10,837 --> 00:16:13,440 [crowd din] 327 00:16:14,607 --> 00:16:16,143 [Angus] I've known Jason for two years. 328 00:16:16,243 --> 00:16:18,045 And sometimes, you know if someone 329 00:16:18,145 --> 00:16:20,347 is someone you want to be on a boat with. 330 00:16:20,447 --> 00:16:23,750 He's looking at me for the technical side 331 00:16:23,850 --> 00:16:25,752 that I've been doing for quite a few years, 332 00:16:25,852 --> 00:16:27,354 which the weather reading, 333 00:16:27,454 --> 00:16:29,089 and how to make the boat move fast 334 00:16:29,189 --> 00:16:31,424 through certain wave conditions and with certain winds. 335 00:16:33,893 --> 00:16:36,429 Last year we were on track for the record... 336 00:16:37,430 --> 00:16:40,433 and we had a storm that turned into Hurricane Alex. 337 00:16:41,868 --> 00:16:43,503 We then had to para-anchor for three days 338 00:16:43,603 --> 00:16:46,873 and we saw the record just being ripped away from us. 339 00:16:48,241 --> 00:16:50,710 The weather stole three days away from me. 340 00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:54,181 We missed the world record by only 32 hours. 341 00:16:55,415 --> 00:16:58,185 We'd landed in Antigua and we celebrated. 342 00:16:58,951 --> 00:17:02,189 And I already knew that I wanted to go and do it again. 343 00:17:03,290 --> 00:17:05,392 I just keep getting called back to go and row it again 344 00:17:05,492 --> 00:17:06,859 and wait for that perfect crossing. 345 00:17:07,827 --> 00:17:11,264 [mellow techno music] 346 00:17:14,934 --> 00:17:16,269 [Jason] After Angus and I had decided 347 00:17:16,369 --> 00:17:17,604 that we were going to row together, 348 00:17:17,704 --> 00:17:20,173 the next sentence that he gave me was, 349 00:17:20,273 --> 00:17:23,243 "If I was putting this team together, 350 00:17:23,343 --> 00:17:25,745 I would bring this guy on the boat, Alex Simpson." 351 00:17:25,845 --> 00:17:27,247 I said, "Okay, who is he?" 352 00:17:27,347 --> 00:17:29,282 He says, "This is a guy I rode in the Indian Ocean with." 353 00:17:29,916 --> 00:17:31,951 And I said, "All right. And what makes him so great?" 354 00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:34,154 He is like, "He just shuts up and rows." 355 00:17:36,189 --> 00:17:38,024 [Alex] I rode the Indian Ocean in 2013 356 00:17:38,125 --> 00:17:40,160 with Angus and two other crew members. 357 00:17:41,027 --> 00:17:42,462 We spent 71 days at sea 358 00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:44,664 from Australia to, originally, Mauritius. 359 00:17:45,598 --> 00:17:46,766 Didn't go to plan. 360 00:17:46,866 --> 00:17:48,435 We ended up going to the Seychelles. 361 00:17:48,535 --> 00:17:50,503 Equipment was breaking. We had no spare oars left. 362 00:17:51,037 --> 00:17:52,372 Our batteries were failing. 363 00:17:52,472 --> 00:17:54,407 Our water meter was failing by the end. 364 00:17:55,074 --> 00:17:56,776 We rowed 4,300 miles. 365 00:17:58,044 --> 00:17:59,779 But I always wanted to cross again. 366 00:18:00,213 --> 00:18:01,348 I always wanted to do it better, 367 00:18:01,448 --> 00:18:02,615 always wanted to do it faster. 368 00:18:03,683 --> 00:18:06,753 So, I think I bring an element of calmness. 369 00:18:06,853 --> 00:18:08,755 I'm a fairly laid-back person. 370 00:18:08,855 --> 00:18:10,557 I'm not looking to be confrontational 371 00:18:11,191 --> 00:18:12,959 or argumentative on board. 372 00:18:13,526 --> 00:18:15,962 Having said that, I'm rubbish at waking up. 373 00:18:16,062 --> 00:18:17,430 I've struggled for the last six months. 374 00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:19,098 It's my girlfriend's annoyance 375 00:18:19,199 --> 00:18:21,468 that getting out of bed and going to the gym. 376 00:18:22,034 --> 00:18:25,004 [tense instrumental music] 377 00:18:28,808 --> 00:18:31,578 I went through a pretty hell of a childhood. 378 00:18:31,678 --> 00:18:35,648 So, I was-- I was a really pissed-off kid, 379 00:18:35,748 --> 00:18:37,150 even as an 18-year-old. 380 00:18:37,784 --> 00:18:40,052 It's probably the reason why I could pull so damn hard. 381 00:18:40,153 --> 00:18:42,789 I just took all that aggression out physically 382 00:18:42,889 --> 00:18:44,157 on a rowing machine. 383 00:18:45,091 --> 00:18:47,660 I viewed teammates as obstacles 384 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,629 that you had to go out and crush. 385 00:18:49,729 --> 00:18:51,731 And I just wanted to go to all these guys 386 00:18:51,831 --> 00:18:55,535 that I thought had these, like, you know, privileged childhoods 387 00:18:55,635 --> 00:18:57,204 and I was going to show them 388 00:18:57,304 --> 00:18:59,472 that I was going to take their seat in the boat. 389 00:19:00,707 --> 00:19:02,542 I found out really quickly, 390 00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:04,444 well, first of all, that I love the sport. 391 00:19:05,312 --> 00:19:08,781 And, second, that I wanted to take it to the highest level. 392 00:19:09,382 --> 00:19:11,351 At that point, I started considering 393 00:19:11,451 --> 00:19:12,885 that at the end of the day, 394 00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:14,787 you're in a boat with a couple of other guys. 395 00:19:14,887 --> 00:19:17,257 It's not just you in that boat. 396 00:19:17,357 --> 00:19:19,259 And you're going to cross the line at the same time. 397 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:20,993 So, if everyone hates each other, 398 00:19:21,093 --> 00:19:23,162 the boat is probably not going to go that fast. 399 00:19:23,263 --> 00:19:26,566 I ended up making the varsity eight, 400 00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:30,937 the top boat at Yale, and I rode at Oxford. 401 00:19:31,037 --> 00:19:32,672 I ended up winning 402 00:19:32,772 --> 00:19:35,842 the United States National Championship in the single. 403 00:19:35,942 --> 00:19:38,010 I've broken maybe six or seven American records 404 00:19:38,110 --> 00:19:39,312 on the rowing machine. 405 00:19:39,412 --> 00:19:42,482 I went to the Olympic trials in 2016. 406 00:19:42,582 --> 00:19:45,218 That had been my dream for 15 years. 407 00:19:46,353 --> 00:19:49,789 And, um, I didn't qualify. 408 00:19:52,124 --> 00:19:56,696 And I spoke to Jason about a month after that, and he said, 409 00:19:56,796 --> 00:19:58,765 "Hey, I've got something you might be interested in. 410 00:20:00,066 --> 00:20:02,969 You ever thought about rowing across the Atlantic?" 411 00:20:03,069 --> 00:20:05,071 He didn't even have to finish the sentence. 412 00:20:05,171 --> 00:20:06,273 And I was like, "That's it." 413 00:20:09,809 --> 00:20:11,711 So, I've got a little baby daughter. 414 00:20:11,811 --> 00:20:14,814 We named her Olympia Faith because we want her to go on 415 00:20:14,914 --> 00:20:17,550 and do amazing things, Olympic-sized things. 416 00:20:18,285 --> 00:20:19,486 Me doing this race, 417 00:20:19,586 --> 00:20:20,953 I just want to show her 418 00:20:21,053 --> 00:20:23,623 that she can do anything that she wants to do 419 00:20:23,723 --> 00:20:25,592 and she can be a strong, powerful woman 420 00:20:25,692 --> 00:20:27,727 and-- and she can look at me as an example. 421 00:20:29,962 --> 00:20:31,698 [Jason] Matt and I have a history, 422 00:20:31,798 --> 00:20:34,301 and we rode together on the East Coast at Vesper Boat Club. 423 00:20:40,273 --> 00:20:41,708 [birds chirping] 424 00:20:41,808 --> 00:20:43,042 [Michiel] Vesper Boat Club is 425 00:20:43,142 --> 00:20:45,211 the best club in the United States. 426 00:20:45,312 --> 00:20:46,779 They have more Olympic gold medals 427 00:20:46,879 --> 00:20:48,981 than any other club in the United States. 428 00:20:49,649 --> 00:20:53,586 The history, the atmosphere just breeds success. 429 00:20:54,253 --> 00:20:56,989 If you select a group, you're not just looking 430 00:20:57,089 --> 00:20:59,326 at, you know, the best athletes. 431 00:20:59,992 --> 00:21:01,761 You're also looking at character. 432 00:21:02,762 --> 00:21:04,731 And, uh, what struck me with Jason 433 00:21:04,831 --> 00:21:07,300 was his dedication to the sport. 434 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,170 [Jason] Michiel doesn't ask about how well I row, 435 00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:14,040 but he asks about my background in baseball. 436 00:21:14,974 --> 00:21:18,511 He asked what position I played, how long I'd been playing for, 437 00:21:18,611 --> 00:21:20,246 how hard I could throw, all these different things. 438 00:21:20,347 --> 00:21:21,981 And Mark doesn't even know the answers to all this stuff. 439 00:21:22,081 --> 00:21:24,384 I mean, he's my rowing coach and not my baseball coach. 440 00:21:24,484 --> 00:21:28,054 Knowing his baseball background, the details, 441 00:21:28,154 --> 00:21:30,390 the coordination for pitching 442 00:21:30,490 --> 00:21:33,826 that made me decide, let's give this guy a chance. 443 00:21:33,926 --> 00:21:39,499 [Jason] Michiel offers me a tentative spot on the team. 444 00:21:39,599 --> 00:21:41,033 And I knock on that door, 445 00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:43,503 and the first guy to open up the door... 446 00:21:44,170 --> 00:21:45,338 guy is 6'7". 447 00:21:45,905 --> 00:21:48,541 And I'm thinking, 'I'm out of my league.' 448 00:21:50,242 --> 00:21:55,482 I am the least experienced by far, by years, 449 00:21:56,115 --> 00:21:59,185 the shortest, the lightest, 450 00:21:59,285 --> 00:22:00,920 and come from the shittiest school." 451 00:22:01,888 --> 00:22:03,890 For Jason to go from, you know, 452 00:22:03,990 --> 00:22:08,428 our little boat club here in-- in Sonoma to Vesper 453 00:22:08,528 --> 00:22:10,830 and not only to be successful there during the summer, 454 00:22:10,930 --> 00:22:13,466 but to be invited back just is-- 455 00:22:13,566 --> 00:22:14,667 Speaks to who Jason is. 456 00:22:15,368 --> 00:22:18,771 So, for the next three years, I rowed Vesper. 457 00:22:18,871 --> 00:22:20,039 I live in the boathouse. 458 00:22:20,573 --> 00:22:23,042 I've got this prison-like lifestyle, 459 00:22:23,142 --> 00:22:26,813 practicing twice a day with a weight session in between. 460 00:22:26,913 --> 00:22:31,150 And my greatest contribution to this team 461 00:22:31,250 --> 00:22:33,219 could be the guy that you could rely on. 462 00:22:33,319 --> 00:22:35,054 The guy that would pick you up from the bar 463 00:22:35,154 --> 00:22:36,823 if you were drinking that night and shouldn't have been out 464 00:22:36,923 --> 00:22:38,391 in the first place. 465 00:22:38,491 --> 00:22:40,126 The guy that would do extra reps with you in the weight room 466 00:22:40,226 --> 00:22:41,794 if you needed it, go out in a boat, 467 00:22:41,894 --> 00:22:43,663 take some extra strokes if that's what you needed. 468 00:22:43,763 --> 00:22:46,499 I was that guy and it worked. 469 00:22:46,599 --> 00:22:48,568 I go from the worst rower there 470 00:22:48,668 --> 00:22:50,503 that probably has no business being there, 471 00:22:50,603 --> 00:22:52,705 to barely making the second boat... 472 00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:56,909 to being one of the fastest rowers in the second boat, 473 00:22:57,009 --> 00:22:58,745 to being in the first boat. 474 00:23:00,146 --> 00:23:02,148 And you could just feel the legacy 475 00:23:02,248 --> 00:23:04,684 that we had all created together over the last two years. 476 00:23:06,519 --> 00:23:09,989 To Jason's credit, working so diligently, 477 00:23:10,089 --> 00:23:13,125 you know, here at Vesper to work his way into the first boat, 478 00:23:13,225 --> 00:23:17,764 to make such an impact on such a short time, 479 00:23:18,531 --> 00:23:20,366 quite exceptional. 480 00:23:20,467 --> 00:23:23,069 But he started maybe then 481 00:23:23,169 --> 00:23:25,705 a little bit too late to make it to the national team. 482 00:23:27,674 --> 00:23:30,142 The goal then, end goal was to make it to the Olympics. 483 00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:32,779 Some of us did, um, and some of us didn't. 484 00:23:32,879 --> 00:23:35,114 And I was one that I wasn't able to quite make it. 485 00:23:35,214 --> 00:23:37,784 * 486 00:23:37,884 --> 00:23:39,819 At the end of three years, I had a decision to make. 487 00:23:39,919 --> 00:23:43,389 Either do another four years for the next round of Olympics 488 00:23:43,490 --> 00:23:47,894 or retire and go home and start a career. 489 00:23:47,994 --> 00:23:49,228 And that's what I decided to do. 490 00:23:50,062 --> 00:23:53,099 [low melancholy music] 491 00:23:57,236 --> 00:23:59,539 So, all four of us had something in common. 492 00:24:02,509 --> 00:24:04,376 We had fallen short in some place. 493 00:24:05,645 --> 00:24:07,847 And we were desperate to change that. 494 00:24:11,784 --> 00:24:13,953 [upbeat music] 495 00:24:14,554 --> 00:24:16,856 Training for a crossing of this proportion 496 00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:19,726 isn't just your average marathon-type training. 497 00:24:21,093 --> 00:24:23,630 It takes the average team approximately two years 498 00:24:23,730 --> 00:24:26,165 to properly prepare for this endeavor. 499 00:24:26,265 --> 00:24:27,767 Training not just physically, 500 00:24:27,867 --> 00:24:30,302 but doing emotional and mental training as well. 501 00:24:30,402 --> 00:24:32,204 Sleep deprivation training. 502 00:24:32,304 --> 00:24:34,206 You're going to average four hours of sleep 503 00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:36,042 for every 24 hours. 504 00:24:36,142 --> 00:24:38,645 That's going to wear on you by day three, let alone day 30. 505 00:24:38,745 --> 00:24:42,114 How to train with less calories. 506 00:24:42,214 --> 00:24:43,750 You're going to be so seasick 507 00:24:43,850 --> 00:24:45,484 the first three to seven days of this thing 508 00:24:45,585 --> 00:24:47,486 that you'll be lucky if you get 1,000 calories in 509 00:24:47,587 --> 00:24:48,855 without puking them out. 510 00:24:48,955 --> 00:24:50,189 In which case, you've got to learn 511 00:24:50,289 --> 00:24:51,858 to be able to still get on those oars 512 00:24:51,958 --> 00:24:53,993 having a major calorie deficit. 513 00:24:55,427 --> 00:24:56,896 Dehydration training. 514 00:24:56,996 --> 00:24:58,831 Maybe you're only getting three liters per person 515 00:24:58,931 --> 00:25:00,299 of water a day. 516 00:25:00,399 --> 00:25:01,668 That means you've got to go ahead and row 517 00:25:01,768 --> 00:25:04,136 12 hours a day on three liters of water. 518 00:25:04,236 --> 00:25:08,307 You've got to take classes, such as how to navigate at sea, 519 00:25:08,407 --> 00:25:10,543 how to navigate at night. 520 00:25:10,643 --> 00:25:12,411 You have to train to live on the boat. 521 00:25:12,511 --> 00:25:15,848 And sometimes the not-rowing hours are tougher 522 00:25:15,948 --> 00:25:17,349 than the rowing hours. 523 00:25:21,754 --> 00:25:23,022 Hey, man. 524 00:25:23,122 --> 00:25:24,223 Hey, man. How are you doing? 525 00:25:24,323 --> 00:25:25,524 You all good? 526 00:25:25,625 --> 00:25:27,326 Yeah, yep, yep, yep. Good. 527 00:25:27,426 --> 00:25:29,361 How are you feeling about it? Are you mentally ready? 528 00:25:29,461 --> 00:25:31,764 Yeah, I'm-- I'm definitely there. 529 00:25:31,864 --> 00:25:34,133 Like, I'm ready to go. I'm crawling out of my skin. 530 00:25:34,233 --> 00:25:35,735 You know, I've got the holidays coming up, 531 00:25:35,835 --> 00:25:37,169 Thanksgiving as you know. 532 00:25:37,269 --> 00:25:39,171 But I'm kind of like checked out already, 533 00:25:39,271 --> 00:25:41,340 so... I know Amelia's getting a little nervous. 534 00:25:42,108 --> 00:25:43,409 What about you, man? How are you feeling? 535 00:25:43,509 --> 00:25:45,011 Yeah, good. 536 00:25:45,111 --> 00:25:46,779 Yeah, been feeling really good and then, 537 00:25:46,879 --> 00:25:48,815 yeah, starting to feel a little bit nervous now. 538 00:25:48,915 --> 00:25:50,883 Um, kind of all the memories coming back 539 00:25:50,983 --> 00:25:52,985 about that first kind of, you know, 540 00:25:53,085 --> 00:25:55,021 what we're going to have to go through that first ten days, 541 00:25:55,121 --> 00:25:56,455 just hell. 542 00:25:56,555 --> 00:25:58,591 You have a lot more to lose in terms of 543 00:25:58,691 --> 00:26:00,593 what you did last year was so special. 544 00:26:00,693 --> 00:26:03,162 Yeah. There's-- 545 00:26:03,262 --> 00:26:04,831 See I don't get really good [indistinct] 546 00:26:04,931 --> 00:26:06,899 not just the result last time, but also... 547 00:26:06,999 --> 00:26:09,168 by three really close mates. 548 00:26:09,268 --> 00:26:12,104 So, for them, they kind of look at me and think, 549 00:26:12,204 --> 00:26:13,740 "Why are you doing it? There's no reason." 550 00:26:15,041 --> 00:26:17,009 For me, yeah, there's a lot to lose, 551 00:26:17,109 --> 00:26:19,045 but it's also just a lot to gain. 552 00:26:19,145 --> 00:26:21,413 So, you've got to take those risks 553 00:26:21,513 --> 00:26:24,851 and we've done everything we can to put together 554 00:26:24,951 --> 00:26:26,352 a pretty perfect team. 555 00:26:26,452 --> 00:26:28,154 We're co-leading this, you know, there is-- 556 00:26:28,254 --> 00:26:29,521 there is no skipper on this team. 557 00:26:29,622 --> 00:26:31,824 So, I'm looking forward to, 558 00:26:31,924 --> 00:26:34,126 you know, just making decisions together. 559 00:26:34,226 --> 00:26:37,697 Yeah, we've got the engines in the front, Alex and Matt. 560 00:26:37,797 --> 00:26:40,566 We can just keep feeding them and tell them what to do. 561 00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:42,101 [laughs] Yeah. 562 00:26:42,201 --> 00:26:43,302 So, we don't have to do any rowing. 563 00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:44,904 Just keep throwing food at them. 564 00:26:45,004 --> 00:26:46,806 [laughing] 565 00:26:50,509 --> 00:26:53,512 [low peaceful music] 566 00:26:57,149 --> 00:27:02,088 * 567 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,203 * 568 00:27:18,905 --> 00:27:20,606 [music tempo increases] 569 00:27:20,707 --> 00:27:22,408 [Jason] To properly prepare for this race, 570 00:27:22,508 --> 00:27:24,143 it's going to cost you more than it would 571 00:27:24,243 --> 00:27:27,046 if you were trying to summit Mount Everest. 572 00:27:27,146 --> 00:27:30,282 The first big thing that you've got to purchase is a boat. 573 00:27:30,382 --> 00:27:32,952 You need corporate sponsorship for that. 574 00:27:33,052 --> 00:27:34,854 Once you've got the boat, you've got to fill it 575 00:27:34,954 --> 00:27:36,388 with the things that are going to be necessary 576 00:27:36,488 --> 00:27:37,924 to keep you alive as you cross 577 00:27:38,024 --> 00:27:40,026 3,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean. 578 00:27:40,126 --> 00:27:43,662 You've got a life raft, then you've got a water desalinator. 579 00:27:43,763 --> 00:27:45,497 This thing weighs a ton. 580 00:27:45,597 --> 00:27:46,966 You've got all the food 581 00:27:47,066 --> 00:27:49,936 that's 5,000 calories per person per day. 582 00:27:50,036 --> 00:27:51,403 The race requires you 583 00:27:51,503 --> 00:27:54,340 to pack a minimum of 60 days worth of food. 584 00:27:55,641 --> 00:27:57,509 You've got your radios, your SAT phones, 585 00:27:57,609 --> 00:27:59,445 your navigation, your chart plotters, 586 00:27:59,545 --> 00:28:02,014 tools for fixing all of these things. 587 00:28:02,114 --> 00:28:03,649 If it can't be fixed, 588 00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:05,551 you're going to have to learn to live without it, 589 00:28:05,651 --> 00:28:07,186 which means you've got to bring other things, like a hand pump 590 00:28:07,286 --> 00:28:09,255 so, if your water maker breaks on you, 591 00:28:09,355 --> 00:28:10,723 you're going to literally be pumping 592 00:28:10,823 --> 00:28:13,459 saltwater by hand the rest of the crossing. 593 00:28:14,493 --> 00:28:16,228 And you've got your personal stuff. 594 00:28:16,328 --> 00:28:18,264 Sleeping bags to keep you warm when you're sleeping at night. 595 00:28:18,364 --> 00:28:21,067 A few extra layers of clothes, foul weather gear, 596 00:28:21,167 --> 00:28:24,270 spare shorts, hats, sunscreen. 597 00:28:25,204 --> 00:28:26,873 Then you've got something called the ditch bag. 598 00:28:26,973 --> 00:28:28,808 This is a bag that, if all goes wrong, 599 00:28:28,908 --> 00:28:31,377 you're going to take this along with you in your lifeboat. 600 00:28:31,477 --> 00:28:33,045 And this is going to be everything that you need. 601 00:28:33,145 --> 00:28:34,847 Your passports, money. 602 00:28:34,947 --> 00:28:36,482 And I haven't started to mention things 603 00:28:36,582 --> 00:28:38,885 already mounted on the boat: solar panels, rudders. 604 00:28:38,985 --> 00:28:41,553 These are all things that are going into this small boat. 605 00:28:41,653 --> 00:28:43,990 And that means that if you want to take less food 606 00:28:44,090 --> 00:28:45,591 so that you have more room for other things, 607 00:28:45,691 --> 00:28:47,359 you're taking a chance there. 608 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,329 Once you've got your boat, 609 00:28:50,429 --> 00:28:52,698 you start to focus on some of the competition. 610 00:28:54,033 --> 00:28:55,534 It's a good competition, 611 00:28:55,634 --> 00:28:57,336 I heard the Row For James guys are really strong. 612 00:28:57,436 --> 00:28:58,871 They've been using their boat while they've been training 613 00:28:58,971 --> 00:29:00,039 with the right guys. 614 00:29:00,672 --> 00:29:03,542 And I'm really looking forward to that competition. 615 00:29:03,843 --> 00:29:07,146 [Jason] I think Row For James are definitely competitors 616 00:29:07,246 --> 00:29:10,749 and, you know, a couple of the guys are bigger than I am. 617 00:29:10,850 --> 00:29:13,219 We've done everything we can to prepare mentally 618 00:29:13,319 --> 00:29:15,487 and physically, preparing our boat now behind us. 619 00:29:15,587 --> 00:29:17,123 I think the biggest anxiety 620 00:29:17,223 --> 00:29:19,358 you have with ocean rowing is the unknown. 621 00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:22,962 I would be lying if I said that there wasn't fear 622 00:29:23,062 --> 00:29:24,263 and thinking about the 30 days 623 00:29:24,363 --> 00:29:26,298 because of the discomfort, the pain. 624 00:29:27,566 --> 00:29:29,135 The last year, 625 00:29:29,235 --> 00:29:31,070 I've been obsessed with putting together the right guys, 626 00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:32,538 prepping the boat in the right way, 627 00:29:32,638 --> 00:29:33,739 training the right way. 628 00:29:35,574 --> 00:29:38,510 [Jason] And then all of a sudden, here we were. 629 00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:39,745 The morning of the race. 630 00:29:42,148 --> 00:29:43,749 [ringing] 631 00:29:43,850 --> 00:29:47,553 Hi, Olympia. Where's Daddy rowing a boat? 632 00:29:47,653 --> 00:29:49,956 On the ocean. 633 00:29:50,722 --> 00:29:52,258 On the ocean. 634 00:29:52,358 --> 00:29:53,325 That's right. 635 00:29:53,425 --> 00:29:55,494 [laughs] 636 00:29:55,594 --> 00:29:56,562 [woman] Daddy is on the ocean? 637 00:29:56,662 --> 00:29:58,497 On a boat! 638 00:29:59,031 --> 00:30:00,699 On a boat. 639 00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:02,468 [woman] Do you want to show Daddy the picture? 640 00:30:02,568 --> 00:30:04,270 Go, get it. 641 00:30:04,370 --> 00:30:05,771 Okay, she's going to go get a picture with Santa. 642 00:30:05,872 --> 00:30:07,406 She was so excited, she kept saying, 643 00:30:07,506 --> 00:30:09,175 "Going to see Santa." 644 00:30:09,275 --> 00:30:11,810 And then we got there and she was, like, silent. 645 00:30:11,911 --> 00:30:13,545 And she wouldn't even sit on his lap. 646 00:30:13,645 --> 00:30:14,947 [laughs] 647 00:30:15,047 --> 00:30:16,648 Oh, that's cute. 648 00:30:16,748 --> 00:30:19,818 [suspenseful music] 649 00:30:19,919 --> 00:30:22,654 [man] So, I wish you all safe crossing. 650 00:30:22,754 --> 00:30:26,258 Be careful out there and see you in Antigua. 651 00:30:26,959 --> 00:30:28,727 [clapping] 652 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:32,899 * 653 00:30:40,072 --> 00:30:41,507 [clapping] 654 00:30:43,910 --> 00:30:47,479 [suspenseful music] 655 00:30:59,525 --> 00:31:03,795 * 656 00:31:12,471 --> 00:31:13,605 [oars thud] 657 00:31:13,705 --> 00:31:15,741 [water splashing] 658 00:31:18,144 --> 00:31:19,811 Oh. All right. 659 00:31:19,912 --> 00:31:23,349 Coming into the afternoon of our first row, 660 00:31:23,449 --> 00:31:26,618 first day, already seen dolphins. 661 00:31:26,718 --> 00:31:28,620 That's a good sign. 662 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,558 From the very first stroke I was motivated and excited. 663 00:31:33,359 --> 00:31:35,962 So, we rowed three up for probably half a day 664 00:31:36,062 --> 00:31:38,564 and we had two hours on, and 40-minutes off. 665 00:31:39,598 --> 00:31:41,133 We're currently in the most southern boat. 666 00:31:41,233 --> 00:31:43,469 Hello. Jason? 667 00:31:45,071 --> 00:31:47,339 And we all have this vivid memory of Matt 668 00:31:47,439 --> 00:31:49,475 coming off the oars, dripping in sweat. 669 00:31:50,609 --> 00:31:52,011 The very first stroke, 670 00:31:52,111 --> 00:31:53,812 I'm treating it, like, it's a 2,000-meter race. 671 00:31:53,912 --> 00:31:58,951 I'm, like, chugging water and just sweating like crazy. 672 00:31:59,051 --> 00:32:01,954 He's just drenched and he gets out of the wet food 673 00:32:02,054 --> 00:32:03,455 and he is just eating and all-day breakfast. 674 00:32:03,555 --> 00:32:04,823 And he goes, 675 00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:06,292 "Got to stay hydrated, got to keep the-- 676 00:32:06,392 --> 00:32:07,826 got to keep the-- got to keep the body going." 677 00:32:09,728 --> 00:32:12,864 Just coming up on 24 hours since the race start. 678 00:32:12,965 --> 00:32:14,866 I think it's fair to say that 679 00:32:14,967 --> 00:32:18,204 the adrenaline of the start has worn off. 680 00:32:18,304 --> 00:32:20,306 And now we're trying to slowly settle 681 00:32:20,406 --> 00:32:22,574 into the reality of a month-plus at sea. 682 00:32:23,942 --> 00:32:25,611 Something started to change. 683 00:32:25,711 --> 00:32:29,215 And I start-- I started feeling a little bit queasy. 684 00:32:29,948 --> 00:32:32,884 People starting to feel ill, tired 685 00:32:32,985 --> 00:32:39,258 and, uh-- and having trouble holding anything down 686 00:32:39,358 --> 00:32:40,826 and having an appetite. 687 00:32:40,926 --> 00:32:42,461 But that's all to be expected. 688 00:32:42,561 --> 00:32:45,864 Nobody's complaining and just powering through it. 689 00:32:47,199 --> 00:32:48,467 I started to throw up. 690 00:32:51,803 --> 00:32:53,472 The obvious reservations that Matt 691 00:32:53,572 --> 00:32:56,142 hadn't spent a lot of time at sea. 692 00:32:56,242 --> 00:32:58,144 On paper, we knew that he was able 693 00:32:58,244 --> 00:33:00,246 to pull the oar stronger than us. 694 00:33:00,346 --> 00:33:04,016 To Jason that meant a lot, but in my eyes, 695 00:33:04,116 --> 00:33:05,984 that screams disaster. 696 00:33:07,586 --> 00:33:09,821 He was trying to eat, trying to hydrate himself. 697 00:33:09,921 --> 00:33:11,823 Nothing was happening, and that's normal. 698 00:33:11,923 --> 00:33:13,592 I thought it was fine. 699 00:33:13,692 --> 00:33:15,261 Give him two to three days. 700 00:33:15,361 --> 00:33:21,033 I was on this team to be the guy who's the strong rower. 701 00:33:22,168 --> 00:33:24,536 And that was my strength on the team. 702 00:33:24,636 --> 00:33:26,238 And I wasn't doing that. 703 00:33:28,807 --> 00:33:31,610 He was losing a lot of weight. I was rowing in front of him. 704 00:33:31,710 --> 00:33:34,146 I noticed the power disappearing behind me. 705 00:33:35,481 --> 00:33:38,584 Angus would spend Matt's first hour on a shift with him 706 00:33:38,684 --> 00:33:41,053 and then I'd come in and spend the second hour. 707 00:33:41,153 --> 00:33:44,190 So, as we pass each other, he'd say, 708 00:33:44,290 --> 00:33:46,325 "Hey, he's barely pulling at all." 709 00:33:47,626 --> 00:33:49,428 [wind gusting] 710 00:33:49,961 --> 00:33:52,331 [Matt] It got worse and worse and worse. 711 00:33:52,431 --> 00:33:55,067 Alex was right outside the cabin door 712 00:33:55,167 --> 00:34:00,005 and I would throw the door open and hopefully make it to-- 713 00:34:00,106 --> 00:34:01,573 to the edge of the boat, 714 00:34:01,673 --> 00:34:03,909 just puking up everything that was in my stomach. 715 00:34:05,244 --> 00:34:07,446 I went through for four or five days just thinking, 716 00:34:07,546 --> 00:34:09,348 "This-- this is now time wasting." 717 00:34:09,448 --> 00:34:13,885 And it coincided a time where Row For James were equal to us, 718 00:34:13,985 --> 00:34:15,654 ahead of us and behind us 719 00:34:15,754 --> 00:34:18,590 and every stroke, every day, every mile mattered. 720 00:34:18,690 --> 00:34:22,761 And then we have Matt not performing to his 100%. 721 00:34:22,861 --> 00:34:25,030 And that was really, really painful. 722 00:34:25,131 --> 00:34:26,965 I know more than anyone that you need 723 00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:28,700 to have everything 100% to get that record. 724 00:34:30,102 --> 00:34:33,272 I think Jason must have-- must really be having flashbacks. 725 00:34:33,372 --> 00:34:34,873 You see, he was getting nervous about it. 726 00:34:36,308 --> 00:34:38,444 And there's a lot of me thinking, 727 00:34:38,544 --> 00:34:40,879 "Have you not learned a thing from last year?" 728 00:34:42,214 --> 00:34:43,482 [Jason] Let me pause right there. 729 00:34:43,949 --> 00:34:46,051 [tape rewind screeching] 730 00:34:46,152 --> 00:34:48,754 This is not the first time that I was attempting this race. 731 00:34:48,854 --> 00:34:52,958 In fact, I had attempted this row a year ago in 2015. 732 00:34:53,525 --> 00:34:55,060 So just a week after we got married, 733 00:34:55,161 --> 00:34:57,463 we went to Costa Rica and I flew home 734 00:34:57,563 --> 00:35:01,167 and he flew to the Canaries to get ready for the race. 735 00:35:01,267 --> 00:35:04,270 It didn't really hit me until the day that he was leaving 736 00:35:04,370 --> 00:35:09,375 that I won't see you for a month and a half, maybe more. 737 00:35:09,475 --> 00:35:11,710 [Jason] Look, I knew it was going to be hard on Amelia, 738 00:35:11,810 --> 00:35:13,879 but in my mind, it was worth it. 739 00:35:15,013 --> 00:35:17,549 I was going to redefine the sport of ocean rowing. 740 00:35:19,318 --> 00:35:21,620 It was two ends of the spectrum for this race. 741 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,822 You've got on one end the Salty Sailors 742 00:35:23,922 --> 00:35:27,493 that can take storms and know how to read storms, 743 00:35:27,593 --> 00:35:30,028 that can over-correct, that can take harsh conditions. 744 00:35:30,128 --> 00:35:32,631 And that is certainly a lot to be said there. 745 00:35:32,731 --> 00:35:34,065 Then on the other end of the spectrum, 746 00:35:34,166 --> 00:35:35,634 it's pretty much our team. 747 00:35:35,734 --> 00:35:37,002 We've created a new spectrum, 748 00:35:37,102 --> 00:35:38,804 I think, which is this elite athlete 749 00:35:38,904 --> 00:35:41,707 that comes from the traditional rowing background. 750 00:35:42,741 --> 00:35:44,643 It doesn't matter that they haven't gone in the ocean. 751 00:35:44,743 --> 00:35:47,145 It matters that they understand what pain is all about. 752 00:35:47,246 --> 00:35:48,847 They all know how to fight through that. 753 00:35:48,947 --> 00:35:51,483 I'll start off with Tom Magarov. 754 00:35:51,583 --> 00:35:54,820 Tom and I have worked together for the last three years. 755 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:58,657 Since then, him and I have become very, very close. 756 00:35:58,757 --> 00:36:01,427 He was one of my groomsmen at my wedding. 757 00:36:01,527 --> 00:36:03,562 Next guy, Nick Khan. 758 00:36:03,662 --> 00:36:06,498 Six-foot-four, huge guy, great rower, 759 00:36:06,598 --> 00:36:08,634 an elite athlete, to say the least. 760 00:36:08,734 --> 00:36:10,836 Greg Wood, fourth and final guy. 761 00:36:11,303 --> 00:36:13,138 He's got a lot of boat knowledge. 762 00:36:14,373 --> 00:36:18,176 I had selected people that on paper were perfect for this. 763 00:36:18,277 --> 00:36:19,911 They were essentially, like hired guns. 764 00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:23,982 I mean, Jason thought for sure they were going to win. 765 00:36:24,082 --> 00:36:26,352 I was surprised at how confident he was. 766 00:36:26,852 --> 00:36:30,055 The only thing we were really worried about was Angus' team. 767 00:36:30,822 --> 00:36:33,792 These four guys were old childhood friends 768 00:36:33,892 --> 00:36:35,961 that had grew up together in boarding school, 769 00:36:36,061 --> 00:36:39,097 and this race was literally a reunion for them, 770 00:36:39,197 --> 00:36:41,567 which is why they call themselves Ocean Reunion. 771 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,503 So, we've been training for that for two years now 772 00:36:44,603 --> 00:36:46,137 and we've had to sacrifice a lot. 773 00:36:46,238 --> 00:36:49,174 Some of us have lost jobs, lost girlfriends. 774 00:36:49,275 --> 00:36:51,109 So, if you're going to sacrifice all of that, 775 00:36:51,209 --> 00:36:52,711 you might as well try and win the race. 776 00:36:53,545 --> 00:36:55,681 But it's not up to us at the end of the day. 777 00:36:57,249 --> 00:37:00,018 Even though they were loud and obnoxious, 778 00:37:00,118 --> 00:37:01,953 showing up late to mandatory meetings, 779 00:37:02,053 --> 00:37:03,622 seeming like they're half drunk when they were there, 780 00:37:03,722 --> 00:37:05,190 it was also so apparent 781 00:37:05,291 --> 00:37:08,260 how much they loved and respected one another. 782 00:37:09,728 --> 00:37:10,729 They had come with the ambition 783 00:37:10,829 --> 00:37:12,163 of breaking the world record 784 00:37:12,264 --> 00:37:15,467 for the fastest four-man crossing, as had we. 785 00:37:19,371 --> 00:37:20,572 Love you. 786 00:37:20,672 --> 00:37:22,107 -Good luck to you. -Yeah, you too. 787 00:37:22,207 --> 00:37:23,375 Thanks for helping us. Yeah. 788 00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:26,111 And in the ocean rowing world, that's a big thing 789 00:37:26,211 --> 00:37:29,481 like the four-minute mile, it's the 30-day crossing. 790 00:37:29,581 --> 00:37:31,082 And it is only possible 791 00:37:31,182 --> 00:37:32,784 if the weather is absolutely perfect 792 00:37:32,884 --> 00:37:35,153 and the team is perfect and the boat is immaculate. 793 00:37:35,587 --> 00:37:39,224 But I try not to think about it because I'm going to jinx it. 794 00:37:40,926 --> 00:37:45,163 So, our goal is and it's always been to row 795 00:37:45,263 --> 00:37:47,866 these 3,000 miles in 30 days. 796 00:37:48,734 --> 00:37:50,101 There is some arrogance in that. 797 00:37:50,201 --> 00:37:51,737 There has to be a little bit of arrogance, 798 00:37:51,837 --> 00:37:53,405 you're crossing the fucking ocean, for Christ's sake. 799 00:37:53,872 --> 00:37:58,009 Jason, I thought, he was very naive to the ocean, 800 00:37:58,109 --> 00:38:00,846 very good at talking about rowing hard, 801 00:38:00,946 --> 00:38:02,548 not knowing what that meant. 802 00:38:03,482 --> 00:38:05,651 A lot of people think, "Oh, I rowed a Henley Regatta, 803 00:38:05,751 --> 00:38:07,085 I rowed for my university, 804 00:38:07,185 --> 00:38:08,720 therefore, I'm good for rowing an ocean. 805 00:38:09,721 --> 00:38:11,723 And the fact of the matter is, when you're rowing out 806 00:38:11,823 --> 00:38:15,226 in the Atlantic, you're rocking all over the place. 807 00:38:15,327 --> 00:38:16,895 It's nothing like river rowing. 808 00:38:16,995 --> 00:38:19,130 There are so many other prerequisites 809 00:38:19,230 --> 00:38:21,833 that are more important than rowing itself. 810 00:38:21,933 --> 00:38:27,406 [chattering] 811 00:38:27,506 --> 00:38:29,608 You have to think that 812 00:38:29,708 --> 00:38:31,843 you're a little bit special in order to do that. 813 00:38:31,943 --> 00:38:32,978 If you don't, you're in trouble. 814 00:38:34,079 --> 00:38:35,213 And I could be wrong. 815 00:38:35,313 --> 00:38:37,349 Talk-- talk to me after this race. 816 00:38:37,449 --> 00:38:39,851 And if we finish in 50 days, then everyone can say, 817 00:38:39,951 --> 00:38:41,086 "I told you so." 818 00:38:41,186 --> 00:38:43,955 [suspenseful music] 819 00:38:46,492 --> 00:38:48,794 Within 24 hours of starting this race, 820 00:38:48,894 --> 00:38:51,262 Nick started getting sick. 821 00:38:54,966 --> 00:38:58,269 He started throwing up as he was rowing. 822 00:38:58,370 --> 00:39:01,306 One of the toughest things I saw him do 823 00:39:01,407 --> 00:39:04,342 throw up, row, throw up, row. 824 00:39:04,443 --> 00:39:08,714 And it didn't take more than a half a day of us being out 825 00:39:08,814 --> 00:39:11,850 in those swells for him to start taking a turn for the worse. 826 00:39:11,950 --> 00:39:16,722 As the days went on, I tried eating, I tried drinking water. 827 00:39:16,822 --> 00:39:18,356 Nothing was staying down. 828 00:39:20,091 --> 00:39:21,427 And then finally it got to a point 829 00:39:21,527 --> 00:39:22,694 where he couldn't even move. 830 00:39:22,794 --> 00:39:24,763 And then he never left the cabin. 831 00:39:24,863 --> 00:39:27,666 And that was-- that was the beginning of the end. 832 00:39:27,766 --> 00:39:31,202 By day six, he was so dehydrated, 833 00:39:31,302 --> 00:39:33,138 malnourished and seasick 834 00:39:33,238 --> 00:39:37,208 that he was starting to shake and talk out of his mind, 835 00:39:37,308 --> 00:39:40,412 even saying he was going to jump out of the water and swim home. 836 00:39:40,512 --> 00:39:42,881 And so, I made the call to the duty officers 837 00:39:42,981 --> 00:39:45,884 who knew that this was now a life-threatening situation, 838 00:39:45,984 --> 00:39:49,320 that he needed to be taken off-board and given an IV. 839 00:39:49,421 --> 00:39:51,222 You guys are going to come out? 840 00:39:51,322 --> 00:39:53,224 You're going to send a boat out? 841 00:39:53,324 --> 00:39:55,461 Two days plus, you think. 842 00:39:55,561 --> 00:39:57,028 They're going to leave today? 843 00:39:57,128 --> 00:39:58,930 We anchored, which we weren't expecting to do. 844 00:39:59,030 --> 00:40:00,966 We did not know that we were going to have to anchor. 845 00:40:01,066 --> 00:40:02,367 But it makes sense, right? 846 00:40:02,468 --> 00:40:03,535 Stay where you are so that the sailboat 847 00:40:03,635 --> 00:40:05,036 doesn't have to chase you down. 848 00:40:06,171 --> 00:40:08,406 The first thought that rolled through my mind was, 849 00:40:09,608 --> 00:40:11,710 "Shit, we're not going to win this race." 850 00:40:13,011 --> 00:40:14,546 The thought of anchoring for days 851 00:40:14,646 --> 00:40:16,047 while teams were going ahead of us 852 00:40:16,147 --> 00:40:17,916 was, you know, soul crushing to me. 853 00:40:19,150 --> 00:40:21,820 We always knew that Latitude were going to be a big threat. 854 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:23,822 And then we realized Latitude 855 00:40:23,922 --> 00:40:25,323 just basically weren't really moving, 856 00:40:25,423 --> 00:40:26,992 compared to the other four-man boats. 857 00:40:27,092 --> 00:40:29,294 We thought something bad must have happened. 858 00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:33,732 [Jason] We knew Nick was going. 859 00:40:33,832 --> 00:40:35,166 I was very surprised by the fact 860 00:40:35,266 --> 00:40:37,268 that Greg came up to me and said... 861 00:40:37,368 --> 00:40:39,738 "Jason, I-- I think I'm going to go with Nick. 862 00:40:39,838 --> 00:40:41,973 Now, remember, Nick needs to get off the boat. 863 00:40:42,073 --> 00:40:43,108 This is life-threatening for him. 864 00:40:43,208 --> 00:40:44,710 This was not his choice. 865 00:40:44,810 --> 00:40:46,244 But, Greg, Greg's healthy. 866 00:40:49,014 --> 00:40:52,250 Before we even left, we were talking about the team 867 00:40:52,350 --> 00:40:55,821 and-- and how we were acting or how we meshed. 868 00:40:55,921 --> 00:40:57,255 And Nick and I were like, 869 00:40:57,355 --> 00:40:58,990 "Yeah, we're on the team, 870 00:40:59,090 --> 00:41:02,060 but we're not as tight as Tom and Jay ever were." 871 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:04,663 And there's a little crack like, you know, 872 00:41:04,763 --> 00:41:06,732 that something's not as tight as it could be 873 00:41:06,832 --> 00:41:08,967 or probably should be when you're going to go on 874 00:41:09,067 --> 00:41:11,402 an outrageously difficult journey. 875 00:41:11,503 --> 00:41:15,106 Jason didn't want to acknowledge that the team 876 00:41:15,206 --> 00:41:17,442 he put together wasn't going to work. 877 00:41:17,543 --> 00:41:19,911 The record was slipping away very quickly. 878 00:41:21,747 --> 00:41:23,314 [waves crashing] 879 00:41:26,752 --> 00:41:28,687 [man on radio] To any campaigns [indistinct] vessel, 880 00:41:28,787 --> 00:41:32,691 this is Latitude 35 American Spirit. Go ahead. Over. 881 00:41:32,791 --> 00:41:35,293 [woman on radio] We are reading three miles, 882 00:41:35,393 --> 00:41:38,964 so you should be having eye contact with us. 883 00:41:39,064 --> 00:41:42,333 The minute you do, please call and let us know. 884 00:41:42,433 --> 00:41:44,870 'Cause for us, it's quite difficult to see you. 885 00:41:44,970 --> 00:41:47,873 [man on radio] We heard all that and roger that. 886 00:41:52,678 --> 00:41:55,013 [Jason] The driver of that boat, 887 00:41:55,113 --> 00:41:57,683 she came into us in the high winds. 888 00:42:00,185 --> 00:42:02,287 Getting our boats attached was a trick 889 00:42:02,387 --> 00:42:04,122 because they threw the-- the line out. 890 00:42:04,222 --> 00:42:05,423 You know, it went under our boat. 891 00:42:05,523 --> 00:42:06,992 It got wrapped around our rudder. 892 00:42:07,626 --> 00:42:09,628 [man] [indistinct] rudder. 893 00:42:10,729 --> 00:42:11,930 [Jason] To have it under our boat 894 00:42:12,030 --> 00:42:13,732 on our rudder, could flip our boat. 895 00:42:13,832 --> 00:42:16,702 Eventually, we got attached to the cleat and we were good. 896 00:42:18,704 --> 00:42:21,372 Now, the problem is they would get too close. 897 00:42:21,472 --> 00:42:22,708 A wave would bring them into us. 898 00:42:22,808 --> 00:42:26,011 [man] Watch out, watch out, watch out. 899 00:42:26,111 --> 00:42:27,913 [Jason] And, you know, if their boat hits our boat, 900 00:42:28,013 --> 00:42:29,147 we are going to be devastated. 901 00:42:31,182 --> 00:42:34,820 Greg got off fairly easily because he was stronger. 902 00:42:39,324 --> 00:42:42,060 [indistinct chatter] 903 00:42:42,761 --> 00:42:44,696 All right. 904 00:42:44,796 --> 00:42:47,933 Our boat kept getting tugged every four minutes. 905 00:42:48,033 --> 00:42:50,902 Which would throw us back and off our balance. 906 00:42:51,002 --> 00:42:52,270 And at this point, 907 00:42:52,370 --> 00:42:53,805 we're trying to deal with a sick person 908 00:42:53,905 --> 00:42:55,607 who can barely stand up. 909 00:42:55,707 --> 00:43:00,211 He was in the cabin, scared, moaning, crying. 910 00:43:00,311 --> 00:43:03,348 And I-- and this is one of the toughest men I've ever met. 911 00:43:03,448 --> 00:43:05,784 I've got the life preserver. 912 00:43:05,884 --> 00:43:07,252 He's holding it. He's got it. 913 00:43:07,352 --> 00:43:08,586 He's attached. 914 00:43:08,687 --> 00:43:10,255 I'm about to drop him in. "Are you ready?" 915 00:43:10,355 --> 00:43:12,423 "Yes." We drop him in. 916 00:43:12,523 --> 00:43:14,259 The first thing that happens is that he loses it. 917 00:43:14,893 --> 00:43:16,094 He loses the line. 918 00:43:19,731 --> 00:43:22,167 He then proceeds to go underneath our boat. 919 00:43:22,267 --> 00:43:24,035 [bubbling] 920 00:43:25,704 --> 00:43:26,905 He's gone. 921 00:43:27,005 --> 00:43:29,107 [dramatic music] 922 00:43:35,046 --> 00:43:36,648 I think that's the only time in my life 923 00:43:36,748 --> 00:43:38,383 when I have actually been scared. 924 00:43:38,483 --> 00:43:39,617 Um. 925 00:43:41,653 --> 00:43:44,856 You're-- you're one person just in the ocean 926 00:43:44,956 --> 00:43:47,592 um, floating there on your own 927 00:43:47,693 --> 00:43:51,329 and hoping that one of these two tiny little boats 928 00:43:51,429 --> 00:43:52,764 is going to be able to save you. 929 00:43:53,631 --> 00:43:55,867 [suspenseful music] 930 00:43:57,035 --> 00:44:01,072 [Jason] His foot gets tangled underwater on the line 931 00:44:01,172 --> 00:44:02,908 that attaches our boat to theirs 932 00:44:03,008 --> 00:44:04,509 and is now wrapped around his foot 933 00:44:04,609 --> 00:44:07,045 and it's pulling tight and he is screaming, 934 00:44:07,145 --> 00:44:08,880 "My foot's going to break." 935 00:44:09,647 --> 00:44:12,250 Tom, in a great moment of clarity 936 00:44:12,350 --> 00:44:14,152 takes a knife and cuts us away. 937 00:44:17,989 --> 00:44:19,590 [man] Oh, it's gone. It's gone. 938 00:44:23,561 --> 00:44:26,497 No, no, no, Maria, it's off, it's loose. 939 00:44:28,433 --> 00:44:31,302 No, no, no, no, be careful. Please. Please. 940 00:44:31,402 --> 00:44:33,404 [Maria yelling indistinctly] 941 00:44:33,504 --> 00:44:35,640 [dramatic music playing] 942 00:44:40,311 --> 00:44:42,313 [indistinct yelling] 943 00:44:42,413 --> 00:44:44,816 [man] Oh God! 944 00:44:44,916 --> 00:44:46,885 [Maria] Oh no! Stop it, stop the boat. 945 00:44:48,086 --> 00:44:49,420 [Nick] Please help! 946 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:55,026 [man] Okay. 947 00:44:55,126 --> 00:45:00,999 * 948 00:45:23,755 --> 00:45:25,023 [Jason] I've seen the worst case scenario 949 00:45:25,123 --> 00:45:26,925 with Nick in 2015. 950 00:45:27,793 --> 00:45:30,862 I wasn't about to make that same mistake with Matt. 951 00:45:35,133 --> 00:45:36,701 [Matt] There was finally this point 952 00:45:36,802 --> 00:45:38,970 where almost to the end of a shift, 953 00:45:39,070 --> 00:45:42,440 I had 35 minutes left and I said to J, 954 00:45:43,141 --> 00:45:46,344 "Buddy, I don't know if I can do this 955 00:45:46,444 --> 00:45:48,479 for the next shift." 956 00:45:51,716 --> 00:45:53,484 [Alex] We knew Matt was really suffering. 957 00:45:53,584 --> 00:45:57,022 We had to pull together to-- to help him anyway. 958 00:46:00,225 --> 00:46:02,760 Matt was pretty sick the last couple of days, 959 00:46:03,829 --> 00:46:05,696 rowing, throwing up over the side of the boat 960 00:46:05,797 --> 00:46:07,298 and just kept on rowing. 961 00:46:07,398 --> 00:46:11,069 Last was pretty bad, so Angus and I split his shifts, 962 00:46:11,169 --> 00:46:13,771 giving him some time to eat and then fall asleep, 963 00:46:13,872 --> 00:46:15,006 drink and fall asleep. 964 00:46:16,942 --> 00:46:18,977 [Matt] And I took that two-hour rest session. 965 00:46:19,077 --> 00:46:22,013 Jay came and knocked on the cabin door 966 00:46:22,113 --> 00:46:25,150 after a couple hours and he's like, "How are you doing? 967 00:46:25,250 --> 00:46:26,617 Like, drink some water." 968 00:46:26,717 --> 00:46:28,820 He was just being very kind of like nurturing. 969 00:46:29,720 --> 00:46:31,656 He didn't even ask if I was ready to come out. 970 00:46:31,756 --> 00:46:34,325 He-- he knew that I needed some more time. 971 00:46:35,126 --> 00:46:37,195 You know, six hours is better than two hours sleep. 972 00:46:38,229 --> 00:46:39,764 And by the end of that session, 973 00:46:39,865 --> 00:46:42,400 I had had even a little bit of water 974 00:46:42,500 --> 00:46:44,002 and I was holding it down 975 00:46:44,102 --> 00:46:48,106 and I had just a bite of a granola bar 976 00:46:48,206 --> 00:46:49,374 and I held that down. 977 00:46:49,474 --> 00:46:50,808 And I was like, "I think-- 978 00:46:50,909 --> 00:46:52,911 I think I'm going to make it through this. 979 00:46:56,181 --> 00:46:57,782 [Jason] Here's the old Matt. 980 00:46:57,883 --> 00:46:59,784 He's back. He's getting stronger 981 00:46:59,885 --> 00:47:01,386 and we can feel him pulling now. 982 00:47:06,691 --> 00:47:08,326 We went south. 983 00:47:08,426 --> 00:47:10,862 History has shown that the better winds are in the south 984 00:47:10,962 --> 00:47:13,131 and we were going to try to catch those. 985 00:47:13,231 --> 00:47:15,666 Row For James decided to go almost due west 986 00:47:15,766 --> 00:47:17,802 and take essentially a straight line. 987 00:47:17,903 --> 00:47:20,205 Within a couple of days, we were realizing 988 00:47:20,305 --> 00:47:23,909 that they were catching much faster wind and waves, 989 00:47:24,009 --> 00:47:25,710 much fairer conditions than we were. 990 00:47:28,479 --> 00:47:33,018 Angus came onto the team as like the guy who knows routing 991 00:47:33,118 --> 00:47:35,853 and he's got this perfect routing strategy 992 00:47:35,954 --> 00:47:37,222 and you could sort of see 993 00:47:37,322 --> 00:47:39,925 Angus doubting himself a little bit. 994 00:47:41,326 --> 00:47:45,163 And I didn't really let on to Jason and Matt, 995 00:47:45,263 --> 00:47:46,431 but I think Alex knew as well 996 00:47:46,531 --> 00:47:47,832 because I had experienced 997 00:47:47,933 --> 00:47:49,667 that we were in a disadvantaged position. 998 00:47:50,301 --> 00:47:54,705 And-- and it was really hard to admit 999 00:47:54,805 --> 00:47:57,442 that we weren't in as-- in as strong position as them. 1000 00:48:03,181 --> 00:48:06,017 We actually rowed more miles than them every shift. 1001 00:48:06,117 --> 00:48:08,486 And so we knew that we were a faster boat 1002 00:48:08,586 --> 00:48:10,088 and we knew that we can out row them. 1003 00:48:10,188 --> 00:48:14,225 So, we then had to have a big, aggressive move 1004 00:48:14,325 --> 00:48:16,261 to come up to them. 1005 00:48:16,361 --> 00:48:18,396 And then we brought the fight to them. 1006 00:48:21,366 --> 00:48:24,335 [Jason] This is not a powerboat. This is not a sailboat. 1007 00:48:24,435 --> 00:48:27,672 This is a self-propelled boat with oars, 1008 00:48:27,772 --> 00:48:30,141 so if you are changing direction 1009 00:48:30,241 --> 00:48:32,978 and going against either the winds or the waves, 1010 00:48:33,078 --> 00:48:34,545 you're going to slow yourself down. 1011 00:48:36,714 --> 00:48:38,249 So in order to get there, 1012 00:48:38,349 --> 00:48:40,018 we're going to slow down and be wet and miserable 1013 00:48:40,118 --> 00:48:41,719 in an effort to just get to them. 1014 00:48:43,688 --> 00:48:45,323 It was one of the hardest bits to row. 1015 00:48:48,593 --> 00:48:51,262 I feel like I still have a crick in my neck 1016 00:48:52,130 --> 00:48:53,831 because the waves hit you, and hit you, 1017 00:48:53,931 --> 00:48:56,201 and you're just kind of trying to manage the wave 1018 00:48:56,301 --> 00:48:58,903 that is the next wave that's coming over to hit you. 1019 00:48:59,004 --> 00:49:00,805 And I was constantly looking left, I think, 1020 00:49:00,905 --> 00:49:02,473 for three straight days. 1021 00:49:06,211 --> 00:49:11,149 All night long, all we did was get soaking wet and row hard. 1022 00:49:11,249 --> 00:49:12,783 It took a toll on us today. 1023 00:49:12,883 --> 00:49:15,353 Um, we're going to do it again tonight. 1024 00:49:16,287 --> 00:49:18,223 [Alex] We'd work really hard to go 1025 00:49:18,323 --> 00:49:19,690 and catch Row For James. 1026 00:49:19,790 --> 00:49:21,226 [Matt] And when we finally got to them, 1027 00:49:21,326 --> 00:49:22,893 we would straighten up a little bit. 1028 00:49:22,994 --> 00:49:25,663 We passed them. Barely. 1029 00:49:27,365 --> 00:49:29,600 And then they passed us again. 1030 00:49:30,568 --> 00:49:32,903 We were 900 miles in 1031 00:49:33,004 --> 00:49:35,473 and we were separated by five miles. 1032 00:49:35,573 --> 00:49:37,242 For us to be looking around 1033 00:49:37,342 --> 00:49:39,244 and wondering if that white cap was a boat, 1034 00:49:39,344 --> 00:49:41,646 "Is that them right there?" It was incredible. 1035 00:49:41,746 --> 00:49:43,381 And so every four hours, 1036 00:49:43,481 --> 00:49:46,051 we required Tom, our land manager, 1037 00:49:46,151 --> 00:49:51,056 to send a text updating us with our speed, our bearing, 1038 00:49:51,156 --> 00:49:52,890 our distance away from Row For James, 1039 00:49:52,990 --> 00:49:54,492 whether behind or ahead. 1040 00:49:54,592 --> 00:49:57,462 It became a very technical row at that point. 1041 00:49:57,562 --> 00:50:00,365 It was make decisions all the time, 1042 00:50:00,465 --> 00:50:03,168 check the bearing, keep an eye on the speed. 1043 00:50:03,268 --> 00:50:06,071 3.1, 3.0, 3.3. 1044 00:50:06,171 --> 00:50:08,406 And we were sitting at 2.7, 2.8, 1045 00:50:08,506 --> 00:50:10,741 which meant that they were gaining half a mile 1046 00:50:10,841 --> 00:50:12,643 to a mile on us, every update. 1047 00:50:15,713 --> 00:50:21,752 [Matt] Today is Christmas Day here on the high seas. 1048 00:50:21,852 --> 00:50:25,423 This one today is my Christmas card. 1049 00:50:25,523 --> 00:50:27,225 It's from Olympia. 1050 00:50:28,593 --> 00:50:31,096 That's sweet. She put all these stickers on it. 1051 00:50:32,663 --> 00:50:34,099 Hey, how's it going? 1052 00:50:37,034 --> 00:50:39,704 We're good. Um, Merry Christmas [indistinct]. 1053 00:50:41,372 --> 00:50:42,640 Hey, Mom. 1054 00:50:42,740 --> 00:50:44,542 Thank you for the Christmas presents. 1055 00:50:44,642 --> 00:50:46,111 Merry Christmas. 1056 00:50:46,211 --> 00:50:48,446 We're celebrating here on the American Spirit. 1057 00:50:48,546 --> 00:50:49,947 It's the evening. 1058 00:50:50,047 --> 00:50:51,582 Ho, ho, ho, ho! Got our Christmas hats on. 1059 00:50:52,450 --> 00:50:53,784 There are stockings down here, 1060 00:50:54,852 --> 00:50:56,621 Matt's in his pride and glory. 1061 00:50:56,721 --> 00:50:58,389 There he is. Christmas day. 1062 00:50:58,489 --> 00:50:59,990 Thank you, Mom. Merry Christmas. 1063 00:51:00,091 --> 00:51:01,259 -Jason is getting into-- -[Jason] Hold on! 1064 00:51:01,359 --> 00:51:02,427 [Alex] Into suit. 1065 00:51:03,461 --> 00:51:04,895 Angus is at rowing still. 1066 00:51:04,995 --> 00:51:06,297 [Angus whooping] 1067 00:51:06,397 --> 00:51:07,532 [Alex] No rest for the wicked at Christmas. 1068 00:51:07,632 --> 00:51:08,699 Ho, ho, ho! 1069 00:51:10,801 --> 00:51:12,670 It doesn't feel like Christmas at all. 1070 00:51:12,770 --> 00:51:14,739 Rashly flapping on water. 1071 00:51:14,839 --> 00:51:16,941 And I've got three up, 1072 00:51:17,041 --> 00:51:19,810 after the last shift for doing an extra 30 minutes 1073 00:51:19,910 --> 00:51:25,350 because we are two miles behind Row For James. 1074 00:51:28,919 --> 00:51:30,655 [Jason] There's nothing about the ocean 1075 00:51:30,755 --> 00:51:33,291 that says a human being should be living 1076 00:51:33,391 --> 00:51:34,925 or thriving there. 1077 00:51:35,025 --> 00:51:36,527 Everything is slowly killing you. 1078 00:51:36,627 --> 00:51:38,829 You're exposed to way too much heat. 1079 00:51:38,929 --> 00:51:41,098 You are burning more calories 1080 00:51:41,199 --> 00:51:42,967 than you're able to put in your body. 1081 00:51:43,067 --> 00:51:44,935 The salt is all over your body 1082 00:51:45,035 --> 00:51:47,705 and it's creating soreness, it's creating infection. 1083 00:51:48,606 --> 00:51:50,141 [Angus] So even when you come off shift 1084 00:51:50,241 --> 00:51:53,544 and you've been soaked by waves, you dry yourself off, 1085 00:51:53,644 --> 00:51:55,045 you will still have salt crystals in your body 1086 00:51:55,146 --> 00:51:56,414 and you feel like 1087 00:51:56,514 --> 00:51:57,782 you're just being pickled in the cabin. 1088 00:51:57,882 --> 00:52:00,084 And you feel all itchy and almost like 1089 00:52:00,185 --> 00:52:01,952 if you've jumped into a bed of stingy nettles. 1090 00:52:02,052 --> 00:52:03,254 And you're pickling there. 1091 00:52:03,354 --> 00:52:04,989 And then you come back out on shift 1092 00:52:05,089 --> 00:52:07,525 and it's almost relieving when he first get hit by a wave 1093 00:52:07,625 --> 00:52:09,294 because you feel like you've washed it off. 1094 00:52:09,394 --> 00:52:11,128 And then it dries on you again 1095 00:52:11,229 --> 00:52:13,030 and then you carry on being pickled. 1096 00:52:13,130 --> 00:52:14,665 [Jason] Basically, whenever you're moving 1097 00:52:14,765 --> 00:52:17,568 when that salt gets in there and it's just rubbing 1098 00:52:17,668 --> 00:52:20,070 and wearing down your skin and creating sores. 1099 00:52:20,771 --> 00:52:22,807 [Alex] What are we looking at here? 1100 00:52:22,907 --> 00:52:25,743 [hissing in pain] 1101 00:52:25,843 --> 00:52:27,044 Oh. 1102 00:52:30,781 --> 00:52:32,450 Oh, yes. That's nice. 1103 00:52:32,550 --> 00:52:34,519 Not sure [indistinct] looking-- looking any better. 1104 00:52:35,453 --> 00:52:37,522 [Matt] After a while you've just sat on this thing 1105 00:52:37,622 --> 00:52:40,325 for so long that it's compressed 1106 00:52:40,425 --> 00:52:43,761 and gotten smaller in all the places 1107 00:52:43,861 --> 00:52:46,397 that it was supposed to take the pressure off. 1108 00:52:46,764 --> 00:52:49,300 So I'm making a new one. 1109 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:51,402 Ligament damage to the hands. 1110 00:52:51,502 --> 00:52:53,338 So [indistinct]. 1111 00:52:53,438 --> 00:52:56,073 You'll see if I don't grab the oars, my hands stay like this. 1112 00:52:56,741 --> 00:52:57,842 I mean, I can straighten them out, 1113 00:52:57,942 --> 00:52:59,310 but they always just go back. 1114 00:52:59,410 --> 00:53:03,381 Um, I try to stretch them out but really, 1115 00:53:04,549 --> 00:53:05,950 there's not much you can do. 1116 00:53:07,385 --> 00:53:09,920 Apart from that we're swimming pretty easy. 1117 00:53:10,921 --> 00:53:12,790 It's uh, five in the morning. 1118 00:53:13,591 --> 00:53:19,297 Just got in the cabin and uh, Matt, it was very nice of him-- 1119 00:53:19,397 --> 00:53:20,431 [Matt] Hello. 1120 00:53:20,531 --> 00:53:22,132 Did a fucking massive fart. 1121 00:53:22,233 --> 00:53:23,534 [Matt] Hello, Mommy, you, all right? 1122 00:53:23,634 --> 00:53:25,102 As I walked in. 1123 00:53:25,202 --> 00:53:27,171 So, I'm going to fart all evening in here 1124 00:53:27,272 --> 00:53:30,775 and I'm going to close it now and just fart away. 1125 00:53:32,277 --> 00:53:35,112 [somber music] 1126 00:53:35,212 --> 00:53:37,248 [Angus] When you've got rashes all over your body 1127 00:53:37,348 --> 00:53:40,184 and your ass is in so much pain 1128 00:53:40,285 --> 00:53:42,787 and your legs, you're getting more and more bruises. 1129 00:53:42,887 --> 00:53:44,422 Those cuts are getting deeper. 1130 00:53:45,155 --> 00:53:47,725 It is a big mind game with yourself. 1131 00:53:47,825 --> 00:53:49,594 And... 1132 00:53:51,629 --> 00:53:55,032 how can you make sure that your mind doesn't give up? 1133 00:53:59,470 --> 00:54:00,638 I don't know. 1134 00:54:05,410 --> 00:54:08,779 [Jason] After Nick was evacuated back in 2015, 1135 00:54:08,879 --> 00:54:10,948 Tom and I slogged it out 1136 00:54:11,048 --> 00:54:14,885 for a grueling 41 more days to get to the finish line. 1137 00:54:20,425 --> 00:54:21,826 On the last day, 1138 00:54:21,926 --> 00:54:24,395 as Tom and I were rowing in, the sun's up. 1139 00:54:25,229 --> 00:54:27,732 We're just miles away. We can already see land. 1140 00:54:27,832 --> 00:54:31,268 And Tom is giddy. 1141 00:54:31,369 --> 00:54:33,170 He's giddy with excitement. 1142 00:54:33,270 --> 00:54:34,605 He sounds like a crazy man. 1143 00:54:34,705 --> 00:54:36,140 He's laughing at everything. He's joking. 1144 00:54:36,240 --> 00:54:37,942 He's singing, and he's-- he's happy. 1145 00:54:43,681 --> 00:54:47,485 But I'm not as happy or as giddy or as excited as he is. 1146 00:54:47,585 --> 00:54:48,986 And I don't know why that is. 1147 00:54:49,086 --> 00:54:50,254 I almost feel ashamed where I found myself 1148 00:54:50,355 --> 00:54:52,423 kind of like acting a little bit. 1149 00:54:52,523 --> 00:54:58,563 [crowd cheering] 1150 00:54:59,930 --> 00:55:01,866 [man] [indistinct] 1151 00:55:07,271 --> 00:55:08,906 [Amelia] I'm looking at Jason, 1152 00:55:09,006 --> 00:55:12,777 and he doesn't look like any human that I've ever seen. 1153 00:55:12,877 --> 00:55:16,013 I mean, he just looks so emaciated, 1154 00:55:16,113 --> 00:55:19,149 completely weathered, and just fragile. 1155 00:55:20,518 --> 00:55:22,086 He lost 40 pounds. 1156 00:55:22,186 --> 00:55:24,422 Everything was just aching, sore, 1157 00:55:24,522 --> 00:55:26,023 pretty much falling apart. 1158 00:55:26,123 --> 00:55:27,992 His body seemed defeated. 1159 00:55:29,093 --> 00:55:30,661 And in my mind, I'm thinking, 1160 00:55:31,362 --> 00:55:33,330 "Yeah, this is probably one and done." 1161 00:55:33,431 --> 00:55:34,565 This seemed awful. 1162 00:55:34,665 --> 00:55:38,803 [indistinct chattering] 1163 00:55:42,272 --> 00:55:43,374 [man] You all right? 1164 00:55:47,111 --> 00:55:49,447 [Jason] I was just so overconfident 1165 00:55:49,547 --> 00:55:50,848 at the beginning of that race 1166 00:55:50,948 --> 00:55:53,751 and we had got our asses handed to us. 1167 00:55:53,851 --> 00:55:55,553 And now all of a sudden, 1168 00:55:55,653 --> 00:55:57,422 that confidence was just replaced 1169 00:55:57,522 --> 00:56:00,157 with doubt and despair. 1170 00:56:02,026 --> 00:56:05,663 I couldn't shake this-- this feeling of failure. 1171 00:56:09,199 --> 00:56:12,069 Maybe I am a guy who's not good enough. 1172 00:56:13,438 --> 00:56:15,940 The guy that finishes in second or 11th. 1173 00:56:16,841 --> 00:56:19,844 The guy who dreams big but can't quite finish. 1174 00:56:22,513 --> 00:56:24,482 So what does that do to a person? 1175 00:56:26,684 --> 00:56:28,619 Do you just give up? 1176 00:56:29,687 --> 00:56:31,422 Do you go back to your comfortable life? 1177 00:56:35,025 --> 00:56:36,193 Or try again? 1178 00:56:40,264 --> 00:56:42,299 I knew that I needed to do it again. 1179 00:56:45,670 --> 00:56:47,472 Why? Why do you want to do this again? 1180 00:56:47,572 --> 00:56:48,939 I mean, I know you didn't win, 1181 00:56:49,039 --> 00:56:50,575 and I know that so many things went wrong. 1182 00:56:50,675 --> 00:56:52,910 But why do you want to do this again? 1183 00:56:55,412 --> 00:56:56,814 It affects me, too. 1184 00:56:56,914 --> 00:56:58,215 Like, he's not here for Christmas. 1185 00:56:58,315 --> 00:57:01,552 You get a sad phone call maybe once a week, 1186 00:57:01,652 --> 00:57:02,853 maybe it's twice. 1187 00:57:02,953 --> 00:57:04,188 You're lucky if it's three minutes 1188 00:57:04,288 --> 00:57:05,823 and you can actually hear what he's saying 1189 00:57:05,923 --> 00:57:07,291 on the other end. 1190 00:57:07,391 --> 00:57:08,826 You know, you're praying to God 1191 00:57:08,926 --> 00:57:11,095 that he's really doing as well as he says he is. 1192 00:57:11,195 --> 00:57:13,564 But it's just a lot of emotional strain. 1193 00:57:13,664 --> 00:57:15,500 And especially if it's not going well, 1194 00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:17,935 it's really difficult on both people. 1195 00:57:20,304 --> 00:57:22,106 Is there ever going to be enough? 1196 00:57:22,206 --> 00:57:23,641 What's going to be the end game? 1197 00:57:23,741 --> 00:57:25,510 You know, if you-- What if you don't win this year, 1198 00:57:25,610 --> 00:57:26,977 it's a huge question mark. 1199 00:57:27,077 --> 00:57:29,947 It could be another awful year of weather. 1200 00:57:30,047 --> 00:57:31,348 Something else could happen. 1201 00:57:31,448 --> 00:57:32,983 Someone else could be sick. 1202 00:57:33,083 --> 00:57:34,852 And then what if you don't win again 1203 00:57:34,952 --> 00:57:39,389 or break the record or even come in second or third? 1204 00:57:39,490 --> 00:57:41,559 Then what? Then, are we doing it again? 1205 00:57:44,328 --> 00:57:46,296 This is the last time. [chuckling] 1206 00:57:50,234 --> 00:57:51,536 [Jason] You lie. 1207 00:57:52,603 --> 00:57:54,338 And you tell the person 1208 00:57:54,438 --> 00:57:56,006 that you love more than anyone in the world, 1209 00:57:56,106 --> 00:57:59,910 that no matter what happens after this one, 1210 00:58:00,010 --> 00:58:02,479 I'll be happy with whatever result. 1211 00:58:02,580 --> 00:58:05,883 But she and I both knew that that wasn't true. 1212 00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:11,421 I've felt like I had a life 1213 00:58:11,522 --> 00:58:13,190 full of second place medals, you know? 1214 00:58:13,290 --> 00:58:14,659 We've got this baseball thing that didn't work out. 1215 00:58:14,759 --> 00:58:18,495 We've got the Olympics that I just missed. 1216 00:58:18,596 --> 00:58:20,264 And now we've got this race. 1217 00:58:20,364 --> 00:58:22,466 We did something against all odds, Tom and I, 1218 00:58:22,567 --> 00:58:24,301 But we didn't win the race. That's what we went for. 1219 00:58:24,401 --> 00:58:26,003 We went to win the race and we didn't. 1220 00:58:26,103 --> 00:58:30,040 I'm just so tired of, like, always being that close 1221 00:58:30,140 --> 00:58:31,909 and people saying, "Well, it was a valiant effort." 1222 00:58:32,009 --> 00:58:33,678 I don't want valiant efforts anymore. 1223 00:58:34,311 --> 00:58:36,413 I know when to quit. 1224 00:58:36,513 --> 00:58:37,982 Like I've shown that in my life. 1225 00:58:38,082 --> 00:58:42,219 I mean, I chose to not get the surgery, 1226 00:58:42,319 --> 00:58:45,656 and I had a choice at the end of Vesper 1227 00:58:45,756 --> 00:58:47,758 to go another round, another four years. 1228 00:58:48,626 --> 00:58:51,095 So I wasn't a stranger to quitting. 1229 00:58:51,195 --> 00:58:52,730 I understood how to give things up 1230 00:58:52,830 --> 00:58:55,800 when it was right for me and for my family. 1231 00:58:55,900 --> 00:58:58,002 But this didn't feel right. It didn't feel right. 1232 00:59:01,038 --> 00:59:03,440 There was something that was gnawing at me. 1233 00:59:04,474 --> 00:59:07,044 And it was that time with Greg. 1234 00:59:07,612 --> 00:59:09,847 It's easy to get down on Greg in this. 1235 00:59:09,947 --> 00:59:11,682 He left. He abandoned us. 1236 00:59:11,782 --> 00:59:16,020 But in the end, as the captain and the leader of that team, 1237 00:59:16,120 --> 00:59:20,524 I had failed to keep Greg on that boat. 1238 00:59:20,625 --> 00:59:25,896 And that failure was the biggest motivation 1239 00:59:25,996 --> 00:59:27,397 for doing it a second time. 1240 00:59:29,166 --> 00:59:32,169 [Amelia] I think maybe he forgot about 1241 00:59:32,269 --> 00:59:35,505 the great teams that he was on at Sonoma State, 1242 00:59:35,606 --> 00:59:38,575 at Vesper and the love that he had for those guys. 1243 00:59:38,676 --> 00:59:42,647 And that's the feeling that he wanted to create 1244 00:59:42,747 --> 00:59:44,882 for the second row. 1245 00:59:47,685 --> 00:59:48,719 [Jason] I've learned something 1246 00:59:48,819 --> 00:59:50,220 and I'm going to do it the right way. 1247 00:59:51,889 --> 00:59:54,324 Inevitably, the first person I ask is Tom, 1248 00:59:54,424 --> 00:59:56,694 to which I think he replied, "Fuck no." 1249 00:59:56,794 --> 00:59:58,328 [laughing] 1250 00:59:58,428 --> 01:00:00,731 And-- Which was fair. 1251 01:00:00,831 --> 01:00:03,768 But he did agree to be the land manager. 1252 01:00:03,868 --> 01:00:07,972 I started to build a community of people. 1253 01:00:08,072 --> 01:00:10,708 Yeah, we spent time rowing and working out, 1254 01:00:10,808 --> 01:00:13,744 but we spent more time just being with each other. 1255 01:00:13,844 --> 01:00:15,479 Having meals together. 1256 01:00:17,848 --> 01:00:19,850 Getting to learn about them more. 1257 01:00:19,950 --> 01:00:22,753 Our wives and girlfriends should be part of this team. 1258 01:00:25,022 --> 01:00:27,624 That change in perspective 1259 01:00:28,693 --> 01:00:31,929 is the greatest difference between 2015 and 2016. 1260 01:00:32,029 --> 01:00:35,332 [dramatic music] 1261 01:00:35,432 --> 01:00:40,404 * 1262 01:00:45,309 --> 01:00:47,011 [Jason] We started to make some changes here. 1263 01:00:47,111 --> 01:00:48,946 And I think this is-- this was the tipping point 1264 01:00:49,046 --> 01:00:51,015 with our competition with Row For James. 1265 01:00:51,115 --> 01:00:52,950 We kind of reset and we said, 1266 01:00:53,050 --> 01:00:55,252 "Let's do everything that we need to do on this boat 1267 01:00:55,352 --> 01:00:56,453 to give us the advantage." 1268 01:00:57,988 --> 01:00:59,890 [Alex] That's when our power, sea knowledge, 1269 01:00:59,990 --> 01:01:02,126 rowing experience came into itself. 1270 01:01:02,760 --> 01:01:04,528 [Matt] So we started to get lighter. 1271 01:01:04,628 --> 01:01:06,163 Any food that we didn't need, 1272 01:01:06,263 --> 01:01:08,632 we were taking out of the packets and dumping. 1273 01:01:09,499 --> 01:01:11,101 [Jason] We re-trimmed the boat. 1274 01:01:11,201 --> 01:01:12,737 We shifted weight around 1275 01:01:12,837 --> 01:01:14,872 to make it a little bit easier to surf the waves. 1276 01:01:15,706 --> 01:01:18,608 [Matt] That's Alex bravely volunteering to go 1277 01:01:18,709 --> 01:01:20,244 and clean the bottom of our boat. 1278 01:01:20,344 --> 01:01:22,612 We've been wondering why the boat's been going slow 1279 01:01:22,713 --> 01:01:23,748 and this is the reason. 1280 01:01:24,314 --> 01:01:25,750 [Angus] Like Jason and I both appreciated 1281 01:01:25,850 --> 01:01:27,985 that we lead teams in different ways, 1282 01:01:28,085 --> 01:01:31,488 and I'm more of a technical, factual leader 1283 01:01:31,588 --> 01:01:33,958 where Jason's more of an emotional leader. 1284 01:01:34,892 --> 01:01:36,961 That's when Jason's leadership came in and he said, 1285 01:01:37,061 --> 01:01:38,829 "Right, here we go." 1286 01:01:38,929 --> 01:01:40,831 And he set big goals. 1287 01:01:41,631 --> 01:01:44,134 Goals that I thought there's no way you should even-- 1288 01:01:44,234 --> 01:01:46,804 You may be thinking of it, say it out loud, 1289 01:01:46,904 --> 01:01:49,106 50 miles, we're five hours behind them, 1290 01:01:49,206 --> 01:01:50,841 why are we thinking about 50 miles ahead of them? 1291 01:01:51,541 --> 01:01:53,143 And you then see 1292 01:01:53,243 --> 01:01:55,379 that every stroke does make a difference. 1293 01:01:56,146 --> 01:01:58,282 [Jason] Matt is back to his full strength. 1294 01:01:58,382 --> 01:02:01,451 He was now feeling like he needed the full extra time. 1295 01:02:01,551 --> 01:02:04,121 Now this guy is starting to just finish 1296 01:02:04,221 --> 01:02:06,690 his two-hour shift, shovel some food down, 1297 01:02:06,791 --> 01:02:08,392 and then all of a sudden, 1298 01:02:08,492 --> 01:02:09,860 he just started putting oars in that third position. 1299 01:02:09,960 --> 01:02:11,695 I'm like, "What are you doing?" 1300 01:02:11,796 --> 01:02:13,097 And he's like, "I think I'm just going to row 1301 01:02:13,197 --> 01:02:14,431 for another hour. I feel pretty good." 1302 01:02:14,531 --> 01:02:16,166 He just say it like it was no big deal. 1303 01:02:16,266 --> 01:02:17,868 Like he was, "I'm going to go feed my fish." 1304 01:02:19,103 --> 01:02:20,570 [Angus] And I came out, I actually got angry, 1305 01:02:20,670 --> 01:02:21,906 got angry at one stage and said, 1306 01:02:22,006 --> 01:02:23,140 "I'm not going to look after you 1307 01:02:23,240 --> 01:02:24,909 when you need to go to sleep. 1308 01:02:25,009 --> 01:02:26,576 You need to get off the oars and eat." 1309 01:02:26,676 --> 01:02:28,712 And he said, "Don't worry, guys. I can do this." 1310 01:02:28,813 --> 01:02:30,480 This is the first time he did a six-hour shift, 1311 01:02:30,580 --> 01:02:33,417 and I sat there in front of him fuming, thinking, 1312 01:02:33,517 --> 01:02:34,819 "Here we go. We've got somebody who thinks 1313 01:02:34,919 --> 01:02:36,320 they row for six hours, 1314 01:02:36,420 --> 01:02:39,523 hero and he's going to be asleep in four hours time 1315 01:02:39,623 --> 01:02:41,158 with a bad back." 1316 01:02:42,592 --> 01:02:44,494 He got back up and did six hours, 1317 01:02:44,594 --> 01:02:46,263 went to sleep for two hours and two hours off, 1318 01:02:46,363 --> 01:02:48,065 got back on route just as hard as anyone else, 1319 01:02:48,165 --> 01:02:49,233 if not harder. 1320 01:02:50,400 --> 01:02:51,735 Unbelievable. 1321 01:02:53,770 --> 01:02:55,305 I mean, that kind of selflessness 1322 01:02:55,405 --> 01:02:57,875 would just put a smile on my face. 1323 01:02:58,843 --> 01:03:02,112 I've been on my off shift for 30 minutes 1324 01:03:02,212 --> 01:03:03,780 and I'm still sweating like this. 1325 01:03:07,717 --> 01:03:10,187 I'm trying to get as much food as I possibly can. 1326 01:03:15,192 --> 01:03:18,896 So it's that day 18, it's New Year's day in fact, 1327 01:03:18,996 --> 01:03:23,167 the first of January 2017, Happy New Year. 1328 01:03:23,267 --> 01:03:25,135 [Matt] Jason does a fantastic job 1329 01:03:25,235 --> 01:03:27,304 of making these days exciting. 1330 01:03:27,404 --> 01:03:28,873 So, for example, 1331 01:03:28,973 --> 01:03:31,976 here is the itinerary that he's come up with, 1332 01:03:32,076 --> 01:03:37,214 7 PM, a dinner with the theme of White Night, 1333 01:03:37,314 --> 01:03:43,820 1 PM, Rocking Karaoke in the Windjammer Lounge. 1334 01:03:43,921 --> 01:03:46,256 That's at 1 PM. That's-- 1335 01:03:47,291 --> 01:03:48,625 that's coming up really soon. 1336 01:03:48,725 --> 01:03:53,063 Angus, you come out so well on film, though. 1337 01:03:54,364 --> 01:03:55,933 Say something funny. 1338 01:03:56,033 --> 01:03:59,136 [Angus] How do you make an American boat win a race? 1339 01:03:59,236 --> 01:04:01,338 [Matt] How do you make an American boat win a race? 1340 01:04:01,438 --> 01:04:02,907 You put two Brits on it. 1341 01:04:03,007 --> 01:04:06,210 [all laughing] 1342 01:04:06,310 --> 01:04:12,416 ** 1343 01:04:27,731 --> 01:04:31,101 Hand steering. We're hand steering all night. 1344 01:04:31,868 --> 01:04:33,170 Decent amount of it today. 1345 01:04:33,270 --> 01:04:37,641 ** 1346 01:04:43,447 --> 01:04:44,748 [Alex] We just got off 1347 01:04:44,848 --> 01:04:46,216 a really good night shift with Angus. 1348 01:04:46,316 --> 01:04:48,185 Matt's coming on the oars now. 1349 01:04:48,752 --> 01:04:50,187 Stunning moon up there. 1350 01:04:50,287 --> 01:04:55,225 ** 1351 01:05:06,403 --> 01:05:08,005 I hate to even say it, 1352 01:05:08,105 --> 01:05:09,974 but right now we're tracking you for the race record, 1353 01:05:10,074 --> 01:05:11,708 even the world record. 1354 01:05:11,808 --> 01:05:13,377 We're on pace, but... 1355 01:05:15,712 --> 01:05:20,017 the ocean is fickle as [indistinct] 1356 01:05:23,120 --> 01:05:24,721 Who knows what we're going to have to do. 1357 01:05:25,355 --> 01:05:28,125 Talking about record is not a good thing. 1358 01:05:28,225 --> 01:05:30,160 And Jason and Matt loves talking about it. 1359 01:05:30,260 --> 01:05:32,262 Angus and I was slightly more reserved about it. 1360 01:05:32,362 --> 01:05:34,364 Angus and I might have a little chat on the oars 1361 01:05:34,464 --> 01:05:36,700 at 3 AM and when it was just me and him on the oars, 1362 01:05:36,800 --> 01:05:38,135 and I went, "What do you think about 1363 01:05:38,235 --> 01:05:39,603 this record attempt?" 1364 01:05:39,703 --> 01:05:41,271 And he went, "Yeah. I'm not quite sure 1365 01:05:41,371 --> 01:05:42,839 if we're going to make it. 1366 01:05:42,939 --> 01:05:44,308 I'm a bit nervous about the weather coming in tomorrow." 1367 01:05:45,542 --> 01:05:47,011 [Jason] So about every day or two, 1368 01:05:47,111 --> 01:05:49,013 we download the next file to get the update 1369 01:05:49,113 --> 01:05:50,614 on what the weather is going to look like. 1370 01:05:50,714 --> 01:05:52,216 Angus downloads it one day and I say, 1371 01:05:52,316 --> 01:05:53,817 "How's it looking?" 1372 01:05:53,917 --> 01:05:55,185 "Well, it looks good for the next few days, 1373 01:05:55,285 --> 01:05:56,353 but I'm seeing something." 1374 01:05:57,554 --> 01:05:58,922 And I said, "Well, what is it?" 1375 01:05:59,023 --> 01:06:00,490 And he says, "That's just a lull." 1376 01:06:00,590 --> 01:06:02,026 I said, "Okay, well, lull's okay, 1377 01:06:02,126 --> 01:06:03,827 we can power through that." 1378 01:06:03,927 --> 01:06:05,962 He says, "Yeah, but it's long." It's like three days. 1379 01:06:06,063 --> 01:06:08,265 If we got a 24-hour buffer right now 1380 01:06:08,365 --> 01:06:09,933 that we're working for the world record, 1381 01:06:10,034 --> 01:06:12,802 there's no way that a lull is going to wipe that out. 1382 01:06:13,670 --> 01:06:19,643 Then, on Friday the 13th, everything went against us. 1383 01:06:31,921 --> 01:06:35,192 The weather got harder, the water got thicker, 1384 01:06:35,292 --> 01:06:37,661 the wind died down, the waves came from the north 1385 01:06:37,761 --> 01:06:40,264 and our average speed dropped and dropped and dropped. 1386 01:06:41,365 --> 01:06:44,601 But we had flat water and we couldn't move the boat. 1387 01:06:44,701 --> 01:06:48,205 We were going 0.7 knots with three people rowing. 1388 01:06:48,305 --> 01:06:49,906 All of a sudden, 1389 01:06:50,006 --> 01:06:51,841 the water felt like you were rowing through cement. 1390 01:06:56,380 --> 01:07:00,184 That lull turned into a storm as a headwind. 1391 01:07:00,917 --> 01:07:02,919 You're going so slow at that point 1392 01:07:03,019 --> 01:07:06,523 that the auto tiller that helps steer you usually fails 1393 01:07:06,623 --> 01:07:08,325 because you're not actually going fast enough 1394 01:07:08,425 --> 01:07:09,559 for it to steer. 1395 01:07:12,862 --> 01:07:14,764 Now, we're going at 0.2 knots at the moment. 1396 01:07:16,366 --> 01:07:20,070 Which for those of you who aren't nautical, 1397 01:07:20,170 --> 01:07:23,039 you can probably crawl on your hands 1398 01:07:23,140 --> 01:07:24,574 and knees at around one knot. 1399 01:07:25,942 --> 01:07:27,277 It's back breaking. 1400 01:07:28,145 --> 01:07:29,346 The boat just doesn't move, 1401 01:07:29,446 --> 01:07:30,780 doesn't glide through the water. 1402 01:07:32,482 --> 01:07:34,984 And worst of all is 1403 01:07:35,085 --> 01:07:37,587 it's a repeat of what happened last year. 1404 01:07:40,023 --> 01:07:43,527 To have it taken away again because of weather, 1405 01:07:43,627 --> 01:07:45,362 because of something that's outside your control 1406 01:07:45,462 --> 01:07:46,896 was just heartbreaking. 1407 01:07:53,270 --> 01:07:55,105 [Matt] The waves are coming in from every single direction. 1408 01:07:55,205 --> 01:07:57,474 I mean, the sea was so confused. 1409 01:07:58,442 --> 01:08:00,177 We're not even going half-knot forwards, 1410 01:08:00,277 --> 01:08:01,945 we're getting blown backwards. 1411 01:08:03,547 --> 01:08:05,915 Angus came out of the cabin and he said, 1412 01:08:06,916 --> 01:08:10,654 "Get the pair anchor out." And I was like, "No." 1413 01:08:11,755 --> 01:08:15,659 That meant that we had been beaten by the elements. 1414 01:08:15,759 --> 01:08:18,695 We could no longer maintain what we were doing. 1415 01:08:20,597 --> 01:08:24,334 It-- it's almost not fair how hard we're pushing 1416 01:08:24,434 --> 01:08:26,203 and how dedicated we've been to this 1417 01:08:26,303 --> 01:08:29,973 and we've done everything right, rowed as hard as we can. 1418 01:08:30,073 --> 01:08:33,577 [Matt] 1419 01:08:33,677 --> 01:08:38,782 I was thinking like, "God, why do you always, always-- 1420 01:08:38,882 --> 01:08:40,984 You get me, like so close to it? 1421 01:08:41,918 --> 01:08:44,321 And why can't, just this once, you give it to me? 1422 01:08:45,222 --> 01:08:46,456 Like, give me my dream 1423 01:08:46,556 --> 01:08:50,260 and give me what I worked so hard for. 1424 01:08:59,102 --> 01:09:00,804 [voice cracking] And that's the point when I was like, 1425 01:09:02,172 --> 01:09:04,040 I was so angry. 1426 01:09:08,044 --> 01:09:09,379 And it just felt like 1427 01:09:09,479 --> 01:09:11,648 it was gone, slipping through our hands. 1428 01:09:11,748 --> 01:09:15,619 [dramatic music] 1429 01:09:15,719 --> 01:09:18,822 [Jason] When I thought we aren't going to make it, 1430 01:09:18,922 --> 01:09:21,758 I couldn't help but think back to the year before. 1431 01:09:23,627 --> 01:09:27,063 It was the day before the evacuation of Nick 1432 01:09:27,163 --> 01:09:30,133 and I met Tom on the deck of the boat. 1433 01:09:31,868 --> 01:09:33,503 [Tom] I was sitting towards the boat cabin 1434 01:09:33,603 --> 01:09:35,905 and I was thinking, the race was over for us. 1435 01:09:36,005 --> 01:09:38,342 All the prep, all the families, 1436 01:09:38,442 --> 01:09:41,311 it's going to go down to, unfortunately, waste. 1437 01:09:41,411 --> 01:09:44,180 And I-- I did not think there was an option. 1438 01:09:44,981 --> 01:09:48,151 [Jason] So then Tom says, "J, just come with us. 1439 01:09:48,252 --> 01:09:50,119 We can't do this by ourselves." 1440 01:09:51,488 --> 01:09:55,625 And I say, "Yes, we can. This is possible to do." 1441 01:09:56,726 --> 01:09:59,496 And I said, "Think about the glory 1442 01:09:59,596 --> 01:10:02,165 that you could do two man rowing a boat 1443 01:10:02,266 --> 01:10:04,067 that's supposed to be rowed by four 1444 01:10:04,167 --> 01:10:06,002 across the Atlantic Ocean." 1445 01:10:07,036 --> 01:10:08,272 These were the reasons why I knew 1446 01:10:08,372 --> 01:10:10,240 I wasn't getting off this boat. 1447 01:10:10,340 --> 01:10:12,642 But in the end, those weren't Tom's reasons. 1448 01:10:14,010 --> 01:10:15,245 He's one of my best friends. 1449 01:10:15,345 --> 01:10:17,180 He's like a big brother to me. 1450 01:10:18,248 --> 01:10:20,016 So, I wouldn't have left him behind. 1451 01:10:20,517 --> 01:10:22,252 [Jason] And he said, "J, I'm not going to let you 1452 01:10:22,352 --> 01:10:23,387 do this on your own." 1453 01:10:24,421 --> 01:10:27,223 I know how scared Tom was to say that. 1454 01:10:27,324 --> 01:10:28,892 And he knew when that boat left, 1455 01:10:28,992 --> 01:10:31,027 when that sailboat left, he had no-- nowhere else to go. 1456 01:10:31,127 --> 01:10:32,862 He was stuck with me in this boat 1457 01:10:32,962 --> 01:10:34,431 and he said he was going to do it. 1458 01:10:34,531 --> 01:10:36,032 And he was very, very scared. 1459 01:10:39,035 --> 01:10:40,970 About a week after, we had had the evacuation, 1460 01:10:41,070 --> 01:10:42,606 about a week of us struggling, 1461 01:10:42,706 --> 01:10:45,542 rowing a boat that's too big for us, too heavy for us, 1462 01:10:45,642 --> 01:10:47,010 it's manhandling us 1463 01:10:47,110 --> 01:10:49,078 and the nights that are just punishing. 1464 01:10:49,178 --> 01:10:51,748 [wind roaring] 1465 01:10:55,118 --> 01:10:57,454 I think we wanted to just chuck it in, 1466 01:10:57,554 --> 01:10:58,755 just be done with it. 1467 01:10:59,556 --> 01:11:02,225 And I think right then, Tom comes out, 1468 01:11:02,326 --> 01:11:04,594 the first thing he says when he gets out of the cabin is, 1469 01:11:05,329 --> 01:11:06,763 "Well, what do you want for breakfast?" 1470 01:11:06,863 --> 01:11:08,565 Which-- which to me was like, "What are you-- 1471 01:11:08,665 --> 01:11:10,133 Out of all the things you could say, 1472 01:11:10,233 --> 01:11:11,768 why do you ask me what I want for breakfast?" 1473 01:11:11,868 --> 01:11:13,603 But there was a complete mind shift right there. 1474 01:11:14,304 --> 01:11:16,740 And instead of saying, "What do I want for breakfast? 1475 01:11:16,840 --> 01:11:19,008 I just had the worst night of my life." 1476 01:11:19,108 --> 01:11:21,110 I thought about it, I said, "What do I want for breakfast?" 1477 01:11:21,210 --> 01:11:22,912 And I said, "I think I want chicken risotto." 1478 01:11:24,080 --> 01:11:25,582 I was just kind of going with it. 1479 01:11:25,682 --> 01:11:27,617 He said, "All right, you want a coffee?" 1480 01:11:27,717 --> 01:11:29,118 I said, "Yeah, I want coffee." 1481 01:11:29,218 --> 01:11:30,820 He says, "You want cream in it?" 1482 01:11:30,920 --> 01:11:32,389 I said, "Yeah, put the hazelnut creamer in it. 1483 01:11:32,489 --> 01:11:34,257 What are you going to have for breakfast?" 1484 01:11:34,358 --> 01:11:35,592 An he says, "I'm thinking about spaghetti Bolognese." 1485 01:11:39,329 --> 01:11:41,431 So we decided to take 30 minutes off the oars, 1486 01:11:41,531 --> 01:11:42,699 not rowing. 1487 01:11:44,267 --> 01:11:45,935 That was the worst thing to do. 1488 01:11:46,035 --> 01:11:48,071 But we took 30 minutes that morning and we ate our food. 1489 01:11:48,972 --> 01:11:52,241 We sat there, face-to-face, eating our food, 1490 01:11:52,342 --> 01:11:54,243 drinking our coffee, 30 minutes, 1491 01:11:54,344 --> 01:11:58,648 and instead of complaining about our miserable plight, 1492 01:11:58,748 --> 01:12:00,617 we started laughing about it. 1493 01:12:00,717 --> 01:12:02,085 "Oh, you guys, you should've seen what happened last night." 1494 01:12:02,185 --> 01:12:03,720 "I had a flying fish hit me right in the face." 1495 01:12:03,820 --> 01:12:04,921 "Are you kidding me?" 1496 01:12:05,021 --> 01:12:06,423 A flying fish hit you in the--" 1497 01:12:06,523 --> 01:12:07,924 And we're sharing these stories and now we're laughing 1498 01:12:08,024 --> 01:12:09,393 and we're joking about stuff. 1499 01:12:10,159 --> 01:12:11,495 And then the next morning, 1500 01:12:11,595 --> 01:12:13,096 we decided to take that 30 minutes again. 1501 01:12:19,302 --> 01:12:20,570 It became our ritual. 1502 01:12:20,670 --> 01:12:22,539 Those 30 minutes is what we lived for. 1503 01:12:22,639 --> 01:12:24,741 Every day, at least we had those 30 minutes. 1504 01:12:24,841 --> 01:12:26,510 Couldn't wait for those 30 minutes. 1505 01:12:26,610 --> 01:12:28,545 Yeah. Tom comes up for the camera now. 1506 01:12:28,645 --> 01:12:29,879 He's been sleeping for the last two hours. 1507 01:12:29,979 --> 01:12:31,948 [laughing] 1508 01:12:32,048 --> 01:12:35,151 [Tom] It was one of the things we would not give up on, 1509 01:12:35,251 --> 01:12:36,486 no matter what happens. 1510 01:12:36,586 --> 01:12:37,921 If Ian called us and he said, 1511 01:12:38,021 --> 01:12:40,223 "Guys, 30 more minutes of rowing a day, 1512 01:12:40,323 --> 01:12:41,925 you will pass a couple more boats." 1513 01:12:42,025 --> 01:12:44,494 We would say, "We'll probably not pass them." 1514 01:12:50,634 --> 01:12:52,869 [Jason] And we never sacrificed those 30 minutes, 1515 01:12:52,969 --> 01:12:55,271 no matter what happens, we always took those 30 minutes. 1516 01:12:55,371 --> 01:12:57,974 Those 30 minutes ended up being what saved us. 1517 01:13:01,310 --> 01:13:02,846 Because those 30 minutes 1518 01:13:02,946 --> 01:13:07,283 were continually recommitting ourselves to each other. 1519 01:13:10,620 --> 01:13:12,856 [Tom] We answered the question of why we're doing this. 1520 01:13:14,223 --> 01:13:15,391 And we kept going. 1521 01:13:15,992 --> 01:13:18,261 And I'm glad we did keep going. 1522 01:13:29,673 --> 01:13:31,808 [Jason] And so that's what I was thinking of 1523 01:13:31,908 --> 01:13:34,578 as the team and I were sitting there demoralized 1524 01:13:34,678 --> 01:13:37,346 and Angus and I were trying to figure out what to do next. 1525 01:13:39,483 --> 01:13:42,351 And so we decided, I'm going to pull the pair anchor in 1526 01:13:42,452 --> 01:13:43,853 and try rowing. 1527 01:13:49,158 --> 01:13:51,628 And I'm hand steering there and all of a sudden, 1528 01:13:51,728 --> 01:13:53,897 I see out around the corner of my eye, 1529 01:13:53,997 --> 01:13:57,701 "I'm like, J, J, look over there." 1530 01:13:59,068 --> 01:14:02,205 There was just a little fin coming up behind the boat. 1531 01:14:03,339 --> 01:14:05,875 I'm like, "J, it's a shark. That's definitely a shark." 1532 01:14:16,953 --> 01:14:19,923 We're all soaking wet. We're silent, we're demoralized. 1533 01:14:20,957 --> 01:14:22,626 And J's there, 1534 01:14:22,726 --> 01:14:26,129 like a little kid leaning off the side of the boat. 1535 01:14:26,229 --> 01:14:27,697 He's got a bag 1536 01:14:27,797 --> 01:14:30,066 of one of our dehydrated meals, beef broccoli. 1537 01:14:30,166 --> 01:14:31,868 And he's sprinkling it out 1538 01:14:31,968 --> 01:14:34,604 like he's feeding a little goldfish in a bowl. 1539 01:14:34,704 --> 01:14:37,574 And we just started cracking up at that point. 1540 01:14:37,674 --> 01:14:39,643 Like, the lowest point in the race. 1541 01:14:39,743 --> 01:14:42,045 [teammates laughing] 1542 01:14:42,145 --> 01:14:45,414 [Jason] What a nice, little rainy day on the Atlantic. 1543 01:14:47,083 --> 01:14:48,952 By that afternoon, the weather cleared. 1544 01:14:49,052 --> 01:14:51,020 The shark found something better to do. 1545 01:14:51,988 --> 01:14:54,323 The Sun started coming out right just about sunset. 1546 01:14:55,358 --> 01:14:58,094 [Angus] And then slowly, the waves died down there again, 1547 01:14:58,194 --> 01:15:00,697 so we were going one knot. 1548 01:15:00,797 --> 01:15:03,166 And you get a little bit more positive. 1549 01:15:03,266 --> 01:15:06,202 And then suddenly, we were going 1.5 knots. 1550 01:15:06,302 --> 01:15:09,105 And then we're out of Friday the 13th. 1551 01:15:09,205 --> 01:15:10,907 We're into Saturday. 1552 01:15:11,007 --> 01:15:13,643 And Sunday, we're back to three knots again. 1553 01:15:16,145 --> 01:15:18,247 [Jason] I crawl in the cabin to do the math. 1554 01:15:18,347 --> 01:15:21,985 We've got five days left 1555 01:15:22,085 --> 01:15:23,587 until the expiration of the world record, 1556 01:15:23,687 --> 01:15:25,321 almost to the hour. 1557 01:15:25,421 --> 01:15:28,592 And we've got almost to the mile, 400 miles left to go, 1558 01:15:28,692 --> 01:15:31,460 which means that we had 80-mile days 1559 01:15:31,561 --> 01:15:32,962 to achieve for the next five days. 1560 01:15:33,062 --> 01:15:34,497 To put that in perspective. 1561 01:15:34,598 --> 01:15:37,366 70-mile days, if you average 70 miles a day, 1562 01:15:37,466 --> 01:15:38,702 that's a world record speed. 1563 01:15:38,802 --> 01:15:41,104 75-mile days is incredible, 1564 01:15:41,204 --> 01:15:44,574 which makes 80-mile days just short of a miracle. 1565 01:15:44,674 --> 01:15:47,076 And to have to string five of those. 1566 01:15:48,878 --> 01:15:50,413 It seems impossible. 1567 01:15:52,281 --> 01:15:53,817 I had myself a little-- 1568 01:15:53,917 --> 01:15:56,452 a little cry right there in the cabin by myself. 1569 01:16:03,026 --> 01:16:04,527 I opened the cabin door 1570 01:16:04,628 --> 01:16:06,329 and I've got three expectant faces looking at me, 1571 01:16:06,429 --> 01:16:07,964 waiting to hear what that number is. 1572 01:16:09,899 --> 01:16:14,003 The first person that spoke was Matt who said, 1573 01:16:14,103 --> 01:16:17,774 "Oh, thank God, I thought you were going to say 100." 1574 01:16:18,675 --> 01:16:21,845 He says, "This team can do 80-mile days. 1575 01:16:22,879 --> 01:16:25,414 The second person to say something was Alex, 1576 01:16:26,482 --> 01:16:28,384 who really struggled that night to row, 1577 01:16:28,484 --> 01:16:30,787 was literally falling asleep on the oar, says, 1578 01:16:30,887 --> 01:16:33,089 "I'll do whatever it takes, Skip. 1579 01:16:33,189 --> 01:16:35,258 I'll row all night if I have to." 1580 01:16:36,192 --> 01:16:38,261 And then Angus, who was right in front of me, rowing, 1581 01:16:38,361 --> 01:16:42,031 said, "This is the reason why we joined teams. 1582 01:16:42,766 --> 01:16:46,402 We wanted the best chance at breaking a world record. 1583 01:16:46,502 --> 01:16:49,238 It isn't a great chance, but it's ours." 1584 01:16:50,840 --> 01:16:54,744 The response by my teammates was the culmination 1585 01:16:54,844 --> 01:16:57,080 of everything that I had ever achieved 1586 01:16:57,180 --> 01:17:01,985 at Sonoma and Vesper and with Tom in the first row. 1587 01:17:03,619 --> 01:17:05,588 I knew that I'd done what I had come out to do. 1588 01:17:05,689 --> 01:17:09,993 I had put together a team that could do the impossible. 1589 01:17:11,394 --> 01:17:13,663 Everyone was about each other. 1590 01:17:13,763 --> 01:17:15,699 It ceased to become about the world record. 1591 01:17:15,799 --> 01:17:19,402 It became about the men in the boat. 1592 01:17:19,502 --> 01:17:22,505 [emotional music] 1593 01:17:22,605 --> 01:17:27,343 * 1594 01:17:27,443 --> 01:17:32,916 Up to that point, our best day was 81 miles. 1595 01:17:33,950 --> 01:17:37,186 And our worst day was, like, 20 miles. 1596 01:17:38,287 --> 01:17:41,791 So Saturday, we rowed two hours on, 1597 01:17:41,891 --> 01:17:45,628 three up, 40 minutes off, the length of the day. 1598 01:17:46,796 --> 01:17:48,832 And that was the hardest day physically 1599 01:17:48,932 --> 01:17:50,233 I've ever had in my life. 1600 01:17:51,100 --> 01:17:53,602 [Alex] You know, your bum's sore, your hands are sore. 1601 01:17:53,703 --> 01:17:56,840 You haven't got time to really stop and have a rest. 1602 01:17:56,940 --> 01:17:59,108 So the Great Depression is over. 1603 01:17:59,208 --> 01:18:02,178 We are now going about 2.5 to 3 knots. 1604 01:18:05,281 --> 01:18:07,817 And that day we did 79 miles. 1605 01:18:10,086 --> 01:18:11,855 [Jason] Leaving everything out there. 1606 01:18:11,955 --> 01:18:14,323 We didn't quite get what we needed that day. 1607 01:18:16,793 --> 01:18:20,296 Day two, smashed it with 92 miles. 1608 01:18:22,165 --> 01:18:25,634 Every stroke, pushing ourselves as hard as possible. 1609 01:18:26,602 --> 01:18:29,405 My thought was, "No way can we actually do this." 1610 01:18:29,505 --> 01:18:33,843 [Jason] Day three, just cruising, rowing hard, 1611 01:18:33,943 --> 01:18:34,978 hitting four knots. 1612 01:18:35,979 --> 01:18:37,814 We did 91 miles. 1613 01:18:38,948 --> 01:18:41,150 [Angus] Everyone was starting to stick their hand up and say, 1614 01:18:41,250 --> 01:18:43,219 "Yeah, I'll row an extra shift." 1615 01:18:43,319 --> 01:18:44,854 Matt was sticking his head out in five minutes, 1616 01:18:44,954 --> 01:18:46,622 "Yeah. Get me on the oars." 1617 01:18:48,324 --> 01:18:50,726 [Jason] Day four, weather slows down a bit, 1618 01:18:50,827 --> 01:18:52,395 we still hit 88 miles. 1619 01:18:53,262 --> 01:18:55,164 The ocean was throwing everything it had at us. 1620 01:18:55,264 --> 01:18:57,100 And it just-- it wasn't enough. 1621 01:18:57,200 --> 01:18:58,835 It wasn't enough to break our spirit. 1622 01:19:01,805 --> 01:19:04,207 The sun came up on Wednesday, the last day, 1623 01:19:04,307 --> 01:19:07,911 and uh, 20+ miles ahead of the pace 1624 01:19:08,011 --> 01:19:10,613 that everyone thought was impossible to hold. 1625 01:19:10,713 --> 01:19:13,817 And we were looking down the barrel of a 50 mile a day, 1626 01:19:13,917 --> 01:19:15,084 50 miles to go. 1627 01:19:18,621 --> 01:19:20,223 And then we realized, right, 1628 01:19:20,323 --> 01:19:23,626 we're actually 12 hours ahead of what the record is. 1629 01:19:30,099 --> 01:19:31,767 We all met on deck. 1630 01:19:31,868 --> 01:19:35,038 We pulled out a flask of whiskey. 1631 01:19:36,239 --> 01:19:37,540 Is this actually recording? 1632 01:19:37,640 --> 01:19:39,375 -There is the thing. -Yeah. 1633 01:19:43,046 --> 01:19:47,150 [Matt] Okay. It's the last night here on the American Spirit. 1634 01:19:48,651 --> 01:19:49,986 It has been a true honor 1635 01:19:50,086 --> 01:19:52,455 to share this experience with you. 1636 01:19:52,555 --> 01:19:54,858 There's more ships like this, mate. 1637 01:19:54,958 --> 01:19:58,761 There are big ships, but no ships' like friendships. 1638 01:19:58,862 --> 01:20:01,030 -[Matt] Brilliant. -Here, here. 1639 01:20:03,032 --> 01:20:04,934 [Matt] I am eternally grateful 1640 01:20:05,034 --> 01:20:07,536 to have shared this opportunity with all you guys. 1641 01:20:07,636 --> 01:20:10,373 Here we are, checking off boxes, 1642 01:20:10,473 --> 01:20:12,175 winning the race by 200 miles 1643 01:20:13,542 --> 01:20:14,978 and setting the course record. 1644 01:20:15,945 --> 01:20:18,747 And if all goes well in the next 24 hours, 1645 01:20:18,848 --> 01:20:20,183 setting the world record. 1646 01:20:20,283 --> 01:20:21,784 It can't be done without a team like this. 1647 01:20:21,885 --> 01:20:23,586 So, cheers to you, guys. 1648 01:20:23,686 --> 01:20:25,021 [Angus] Thank you, Skipper. 1649 01:20:28,724 --> 01:20:30,626 [Matt] "The motivation to strive forward 1650 01:20:30,726 --> 01:20:33,462 in any endeavor or personal journey comes, 1651 01:20:33,562 --> 01:20:36,299 quite simply, from passion. 1652 01:20:36,399 --> 01:20:38,201 The word passion actually comes from 1653 01:20:38,301 --> 01:20:41,037 the Latin word that means 'to suffer.' 1654 01:20:42,071 --> 01:20:45,741 Every now and then, you'll have to suffer for the things 1655 01:20:45,841 --> 01:20:47,510 that are important to you. 1656 01:20:48,711 --> 01:20:51,747 The inevitable failures and setbacks are not easy. 1657 01:20:53,116 --> 01:20:54,783 At times, they cut painfully deep, 1658 01:20:54,884 --> 01:20:57,053 and you'll be tempted to turn your back on the challenge 1659 01:20:57,153 --> 01:21:01,024 because that seems vast, overwhelming or unattainable. 1660 01:21:01,757 --> 01:21:03,459 Whatever your ocean is, 1661 01:21:04,860 --> 01:21:09,732 strive with a spirit of excellence to cross it. 1662 01:21:14,003 --> 01:21:16,105 If you can take those harrowing blows 1663 01:21:17,440 --> 01:21:18,774 and come across 1664 01:21:20,643 --> 01:21:24,480 with your zeal for life still intact, 1665 01:21:25,748 --> 01:21:27,883 you'll have not only a quiet confidence, 1666 01:21:27,984 --> 01:21:30,653 but also a sense of humility 1667 01:21:30,753 --> 01:21:35,524 because the journey, like the sea, is bigger than you. 1668 01:21:40,563 --> 01:21:42,731 [voice cracking] Your ocean is there to define you." 1669 01:21:59,048 --> 01:22:02,051 [Angus] I was extremely excited to step on dry land, 1670 01:22:02,151 --> 01:22:04,753 eat some good food, have a shower, stretch. 1671 01:22:05,588 --> 01:22:08,524 See my girlfriend. See my family. And-- 1672 01:22:10,593 --> 01:22:12,228 But I'll miss this, 1673 01:22:12,328 --> 01:22:16,599 as much as I complained over the last 30-odd days, 1674 01:22:17,666 --> 01:22:19,868 I love the simple life. 1675 01:22:19,969 --> 01:22:23,906 Um, I love pushing myself, pushing the limits and... 1676 01:22:25,274 --> 01:22:27,510 it'll be something that I will really, really miss. 1677 01:22:27,610 --> 01:22:33,782 And... I'm sorry for saying it, Grace, 1678 01:22:33,882 --> 01:22:36,552 but I'll probably be back here again at some stage. 1679 01:22:38,954 --> 01:22:40,223 Oh, damn it. 1680 01:22:42,658 --> 01:22:45,828 [sentimental music playing] 1681 01:22:45,928 --> 01:22:50,866 * 1682 01:22:57,440 --> 01:22:59,808 [Jason] For my entire athletic career, 1683 01:22:59,908 --> 01:23:03,212 I was obsessed with being the best. 1684 01:23:03,312 --> 01:23:05,981 Not having a wall full of silver medals anymore. 1685 01:23:06,082 --> 01:23:10,653 And it took rowing across the Atlantic Ocean twice 1686 01:23:11,720 --> 01:23:13,922 to finally realize that once I did win, 1687 01:23:14,023 --> 01:23:17,326 it had nothing to do with what color the medal was 1688 01:23:17,426 --> 01:23:21,764 and everything to do with the people that I did it with. 1689 01:23:27,703 --> 01:23:30,739 It was about the small, authentic moments 1690 01:23:30,839 --> 01:23:32,241 that you share with your teammates 1691 01:23:32,341 --> 01:23:34,177 in the middle of the Atlantic. 1692 01:23:36,379 --> 01:23:40,583 It was about the highs, but it was also about the lows. 1693 01:23:44,019 --> 01:23:46,555 No one will ever really know, except for the four of us, 1694 01:23:47,223 --> 01:23:48,424 what it was like out there. 1695 01:23:48,524 --> 01:23:49,858 No one will know. 1696 01:23:49,958 --> 01:23:51,694 And sometimes you don't want to let that go. 1697 01:23:54,930 --> 01:23:57,400 For a split second, you don't want to get off the boat. 1698 01:23:59,468 --> 01:24:04,773 [crowd cheering] 1699 01:24:07,276 --> 01:24:10,613 [man] 35 days, 14 hours and three minutes. 1700 01:24:10,713 --> 01:24:12,448 [cheering] 1701 01:24:12,548 --> 01:24:16,819 With that they win the race and also set a new world record 1702 01:24:16,919 --> 01:24:19,388 -for crossing the Atlantic. -[crowd cheering] 1703 01:24:21,124 --> 01:24:23,226 -[man] Hip, hip. -[crowd] Hooray! 1704 01:24:23,326 --> 01:24:24,893 -[man] Hip, hip. -[crowd] Hooray! 1705 01:24:24,993 --> 01:24:26,629 -[man] Hip, hip. -[crowd] Hooray! 1706 01:24:36,639 --> 01:24:38,774 [Angus] I was so proud of the boys 1707 01:24:38,874 --> 01:24:41,277 and did not know that we had it in us to do that. 1708 01:24:47,116 --> 01:24:50,419 I now feel a huge connection and increased bond with Angus 1709 01:24:50,519 --> 01:24:53,989 and huge, huge respect for Jason in that 1710 01:24:54,089 --> 01:24:57,059 and I refer-- Would refer to them as my brothers. 1711 01:24:59,328 --> 01:25:00,863 [Matt] I love those guys. 1712 01:25:00,963 --> 01:25:03,098 Angus and Alex and Jason. 1713 01:25:03,199 --> 01:25:08,304 And we've done something that's rare in today's world 1714 01:25:08,404 --> 01:25:10,973 where we built ourselves up 1715 01:25:11,073 --> 01:25:14,777 to something greater than each of our individual parts. 1716 01:25:35,164 --> 01:25:36,699 [Jason] Now, I'm a father 1717 01:25:37,900 --> 01:25:40,803 and that pretty much changes everything. 1718 01:25:42,104 --> 01:25:45,908 It fills me with new purpose, grace, 1719 01:25:47,142 --> 01:25:49,878 and it also adds a level of complexity. 1720 01:25:49,978 --> 01:25:52,481 The sacrifice now that I'll be making 1721 01:25:53,115 --> 01:25:55,751 in any future adventures has gone way up. 1722 01:25:56,785 --> 01:26:00,456 And yet, I know I won't stop doing them. 1723 01:26:02,991 --> 01:26:05,294 [Amelia] Me and my son have such a bond. 1724 01:26:05,394 --> 01:26:07,963 Um. I'm sorry. 1725 01:26:09,798 --> 01:26:11,267 And I think-- 1726 01:26:11,367 --> 01:26:13,536 I think the struggles have really helped him, 1727 01:26:13,636 --> 01:26:16,805 because I think he'll be able to show Tristan 1728 01:26:16,905 --> 01:26:22,110 um, how much you can learn and change from those things. 1729 01:26:22,211 --> 01:26:24,680 And they're necessary-- Sorry. 1730 01:26:26,582 --> 01:26:27,883 To grow. 1731 01:26:28,684 --> 01:26:32,154 Um, he's a wonderful father. 1732 01:26:35,924 --> 01:26:37,092 [Jason] Going back to the question 1733 01:26:37,192 --> 01:26:38,527 of why do people do these things? 1734 01:26:38,627 --> 01:26:40,028 Why do people cross oceans? 1735 01:26:41,597 --> 01:26:42,998 We've heard about this saying 1736 01:26:43,098 --> 01:26:45,268 it's not how many times you get knocked down, 1737 01:26:45,368 --> 01:26:47,069 it's how many times you get back up. 1738 01:26:47,169 --> 01:26:49,104 But that is only half of it. 1739 01:26:50,906 --> 01:26:54,209 You must spend time on the ground understanding 1740 01:26:54,310 --> 01:26:55,711 and learning how you got there 1741 01:26:55,811 --> 01:26:57,380 so that when you do get back up, 1742 01:26:58,481 --> 01:27:00,616 you're a smarter, tougher, harder, 1743 01:27:00,716 --> 01:27:02,585 stronger target to knock down. 1744 01:27:04,219 --> 01:27:10,426 That is why we keep doing things even though we lose, 1745 01:27:10,526 --> 01:27:12,094 because we learn. 1746 01:27:12,194 --> 01:27:15,898 [emotional music]