Just Keep Rowing Book
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About this project
In 2010, I set the world record for the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic after 70 days alone at sea. The purpose behind the row was much bigger than world records and personal achievement. It was my "Row for Water," to raise funding and awareness for water projects worldwide. That journey raised more than $150,000 for water projects in Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Kenya.
This book is a personal conversation between me and you. During my journey I learned many vital life lessons from the Atlantic. As I found out, an ocean is a great teacher of the meaning of life. I became its student, sometimes reluctantly but often enthusiastically, and I want to communicate those lessons because I believe they can be vital for everyone. From students to business executives, and to people just wanting to find new ways to live life to the fullest, these lessons from the Atlantic will help you see the world from a new perspective.
I have divided the book into 70 short segments, with each representing a day of my journey. I group these days into four main parts. While the narrative of rowing the ocean is present in all of them, each of the parts emphasizes an essential life-changing idea. The first is to “Propel Yourself.” Here I talk about believing in our human potential and having faith that we can accomplish the impossible. We all have the inherent capability to grow the confidence to propel ourselves towards achieving our goals. I have learned this through physical challenges like swimming the length of the Allegheny River, completing a 62-mile ultra-marathon in Australia, running through the Mohave desert, biking coast-to-coast across the United States, and of course, rowing the Atlantic. I do not claim any special power of endurance. We all have this capability inside and it is there for us to unlock.
I call part two “Russian Roulette” which is a cryptic title I know, but it is a vital, as well as harsh image that symbolizes the severe global water crisis. This crisis is the reason I rowed the Atlantic, and in this section I address why awareness and action is essential. With the high prevalence of waterborne disease in developing nations, taking a sip of water is actually much more like playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette than simply quenching a thirst. Furthermore, water is essential to all of our lives, second only to air. It is also a finite resource, and currently we are not good stewards of that supply. This situation threatens our very existence.
In part three, entitled “Our Bioluminescence,” I recount key moments when my interaction with the Atlantic Ocean fundamentally changed me in terms of seeing the beauty of the world, and understanding the intrinsic worth of every human being on this planet. We are all beacons of light, shining like the sun, and as a human race we can only become stronger if we take care of each other. We risk losing the race if we fail to do so. Each of these three themes represents three weeks of my life on the ocean. The final part is just one week in length, and it is entitled “Climbing the Ladder.” It describes the end of my journey with fire, deadly storms, broken equipment, and hundreds of extra miles of rowing before the shores of South America appeared before me. The final challenge was an unexpected ladder from my boat up to the pier. As I reached that last rung, I realized I had just become the youngest person to row across an ocean. From that moment on, “just keep rowing” and “climbing the ladder” became my metaphors for life and guides for success.
It is important to note that I did not write each of these lessons on my boat. I wrote them years after the voyage, when I had ample time to process my life changing adventure. In fact it took five years from the time I completed the journey to compose them, and assisting me in that task was my co-author Mark Bowles. In him I found someone who perfectly mirrored my philosophical perspectives and shared a passion for empowering those who lack the most basic requirements of life, like water. For us this book is about helping others, and proceeds will go to support clean water projects in developing nations.
All funds raised through GoFundMe will be directed towards funding copy editing, line editing, cover design, interior design, print layout, e-book layout, publishing an initial run of copies, and advertising. Proceeds from future sales of the book will be used for charitable donations.
In 2010, I set the world record for the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic after 70 days alone at sea. The purpose behind the row was much bigger than world records and personal achievement. It was my "Row for Water," to raise funding and awareness for water projects worldwide. That journey raised more than $150,000 for water projects in Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Kenya.
This book is a personal conversation between me and you. During my journey I learned many vital life lessons from the Atlantic. As I found out, an ocean is a great teacher of the meaning of life. I became its student, sometimes reluctantly but often enthusiastically, and I want to communicate those lessons because I believe they can be vital for everyone. From students to business executives, and to people just wanting to find new ways to live life to the fullest, these lessons from the Atlantic will help you see the world from a new perspective.
I have divided the book into 70 short segments, with each representing a day of my journey. I group these days into four main parts. While the narrative of rowing the ocean is present in all of them, each of the parts emphasizes an essential life-changing idea. The first is to “Propel Yourself.” Here I talk about believing in our human potential and having faith that we can accomplish the impossible. We all have the inherent capability to grow the confidence to propel ourselves towards achieving our goals. I have learned this through physical challenges like swimming the length of the Allegheny River, completing a 62-mile ultra-marathon in Australia, running through the Mohave desert, biking coast-to-coast across the United States, and of course, rowing the Atlantic. I do not claim any special power of endurance. We all have this capability inside and it is there for us to unlock.
I call part two “Russian Roulette” which is a cryptic title I know, but it is a vital, as well as harsh image that symbolizes the severe global water crisis. This crisis is the reason I rowed the Atlantic, and in this section I address why awareness and action is essential. With the high prevalence of waterborne disease in developing nations, taking a sip of water is actually much more like playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette than simply quenching a thirst. Furthermore, water is essential to all of our lives, second only to air. It is also a finite resource, and currently we are not good stewards of that supply. This situation threatens our very existence.
In part three, entitled “Our Bioluminescence,” I recount key moments when my interaction with the Atlantic Ocean fundamentally changed me in terms of seeing the beauty of the world, and understanding the intrinsic worth of every human being on this planet. We are all beacons of light, shining like the sun, and as a human race we can only become stronger if we take care of each other. We risk losing the race if we fail to do so. Each of these three themes represents three weeks of my life on the ocean. The final part is just one week in length, and it is entitled “Climbing the Ladder.” It describes the end of my journey with fire, deadly storms, broken equipment, and hundreds of extra miles of rowing before the shores of South America appeared before me. The final challenge was an unexpected ladder from my boat up to the pier. As I reached that last rung, I realized I had just become the youngest person to row across an ocean. From that moment on, “just keep rowing” and “climbing the ladder” became my metaphors for life and guides for success.
It is important to note that I did not write each of these lessons on my boat. I wrote them years after the voyage, when I had ample time to process my life changing adventure. In fact it took five years from the time I completed the journey to compose them, and assisting me in that task was my co-author Mark Bowles. In him I found someone who perfectly mirrored my philosophical perspectives and shared a passion for empowering those who lack the most basic requirements of life, like water. For us this book is about helping others, and proceeds will go to support clean water projects in developing nations.
All funds raised through GoFundMe will be directed towards funding copy editing, line editing, cover design, interior design, print layout, e-book layout, publishing an initial run of copies, and advertising. Proceeds from future sales of the book will be used for charitable donations.
Organizer
Katie Spotz and Hannah Sleight
Organizer
Lakewood, OH