Rowboat in a Hurricane (33 page)
After surviving tempests in a rowboat, Colin and I felt quite certain we could weather those of matrimony. So on August
11
,
2007
, we were married. Our honeymoon—no surprise to those who knew us well—was a rowing trip. We designed and built two coastal rowing boats and cavorted around Vancouver Island for ten days. Now we’ve taken those same boats to Scotland and are in the process of rowing to Aleppo, Syria. Before you point out that Aleppo is not a coastal city, I should mention that the boats are designed to be towed behind a bicycle on land. When we’re on water, the bikes and trailers fit into the watertight hatches of our boats. We are travelling on a network of canals, cycling paths, great rivers (Thames, Rhine, and Danube) and several seas, including the Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Black Sea. As I write these words in May
2008
, we are on the Thames River on the outskirts of London, having rowed and cycled here from John o’Groats at the northern tip of Scotland. In a week, we’ll cross the English Channel to France, and by October we’ll have reached Syria.
T
HIS BOOK, AND
the adventure, would not have been possible without the time, talent, support, and encouragement of a number of incredible people and companies.
The dedicated staff of Greystone Books guided me through a journey almost as difficult as rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. I’d like to thank Nancy Flight and Rob Sanders for embracing this project and for their invaluable advice in developing the manuscript. I am especially indebted to the talented Susan Folkins, who not only did a magnificent job editing the book, but managed to work with me as I was rowing and cycling across Britain. More than a handful of friends and family members motivated and encouraged me during the writing process; they were also a part of my cheerleading squad during the expedition, so I’ll thank them in that context.
While we were on the ocean, we relied on friends for endless support—not only for the occasional heartening word but for relaying weather forecasts, updating our website, transcribing newspaper stories, and a litany of odd requests such as getting two bicycles to Costa Rica or renewing a passport while at sea. Dean Fenwick did all this and more; not only did he become our de facto home-based coordinator, but before we left he ensured our boat and all the equipment we needed arrived in Portugal. His girlfriend, Sarah Evans, now a doctor, provided much appreciated medical advice. More thanks go to Mary Hearnden and Dan Carey, who ensured our life raft and
EPIRB
arrived in Portugal; Christine Leakey, who supplied us with weather forecasts and connected us with our lead sponsor, Truestar Health; Shelley Russell, for too many reasons to list; Corinne Hockley and her mother Leigh, for hours of transcribing; and many other dear friends, including Jackie and Vance Bellerose, Karen Best, Alex Binkley, Jason Brannon, Dennis Breymann, Liz Cameron, James and Shelley Campbell, Frank and Anita Carey, Cathy Choinicki, the Davies Family, Mario DeAlmeida, Jennifer Hamilton, Brad Hill, KJ and Murray Klonz, Greg Kolodziejzyk, John Tracey Leiweke, David Morgan, Carole Paquette, Bob Pope, Lloyd Pritchard, John Rocha, and Randi Spentzos. This is not, by any means, a complete list; many others have helped in pivotal ways, and even though they are not individually listed I would like to express my gratitude for their kindness.
An expedition of this magnitude is not possible without the support of companies who share our values, and we were lucky to work with a number of outstanding organizations. These include Truestar Health, Wallace & Carey Inc., Helly Hansen, Kelowna Flightcraft, Norco Performance Bikes, Specialized Office Systems, Iridium Satellite Solutions, Vancouver Rowing Club,
LiferaftRental.com
, Mountain House,
ChristineLeakey.com
,
SiteAction.com
,
KOKO
Productions, Rodney Bay Marina, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and Croker Oars Australia.
I need to thank my family the most, for at times, this adventure was undoubtedly more challenging for them than it was for me. I made my mother, Helga Wafaei, worry tremendously, and even though she didn’t entirely approve of my adventure, she still loves me unconditionally. The same is true for my father, Husam Wafaei, his wife Lina, and their children Nouri and Yasmeen, who have always been supportive and interested. My now-mother-in-law, Valerie Spentzos, was one of our biggest motivators on the ocean, and she continued her cheerleading while I wrote this book by creating a blooming oasis of dahlias in our garden and by plying me with farmers’ market cookies. Indeed, I am lucky to be so warmly embraced by Colin’s family; they are all great. His brother, George Spentzos, made our expedition possible by lending us enough money interest-free to purchase our rowboat, and Colin’s sisters Patty and Jane Spentzos have been equally enthusiastic.
The person most pivotal to the completion of both journeys is my husband Colin, who knows how much he means to me. I am also extremely grateful to the bus stop that caused our paths to cross.
J
ULIE ANGUS
has written for several publications, including the
Globe and Mail
, the
National Post,
and
enRoute
, and her photography has appeared in
Explore
,
Outside,
and
Reader’s Digest
. She holds a master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Victoria and lives in Comox, British Columbia. A film of the round-the-world expedition, including Julie Angus’s voyage across the ocean, may be purchased on her website,
www.julieangus.com
.