Gandhi, a 30-year-old software engineer, has created a new world record for rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in just 106 days.
“I have no words to describe how it felt to touch land after 106 days at sea.” These were Bhavik Gandhi’s first words, to DNA in a telephone interview, after he arrived at Jabberwock beach in Antigua, in the Caribbean Islands, on Saturday.
Gandhi, a 30-year-old software engineer, has created a new world record for rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in just 106 days. He was given a reception by officials from the Prime Minister’s office, the sports and tourism ministries of Antigua. Bhavik is, in fact, the first Asian to complete a solo rowing expedition across the Atlantic.
“Navigating without a motor or a sail across 3,000 miles of water has been quite a daunting task. It has been a constant fight for control between the oars and the elements,” says Gandhi. He came up with the idea of the Atlantic sail two years ago, but could not succeed. This year, he rowed out on February 12, and managed to reach Antigua in the evening on June 14.
Gandhi, who worked in Sweden as co-founder of a firm called Development Venture Capital, was determined to go through with his mission. His journey was dogged by problems. He broke an oar and his boat capsized one night. “I had no control over my boat and the radio too failed,” he recalls. “Some US agencies sent a helicopter to rescue me. The tough part was convincing them I was ok.”
Gandhi’s other adventures on the high seas include a brush with killer whales and sharks and a terrible storm. “I was badly rocked about by the storm since I didn’t have any steering or rudder control,” says Gandhi.
What Gandhi has for company is his iPod, underwater camera and a few books, including one by Bill Clinton and Gregory Roberts’ Shantaram. He has installed a solar panel in his boat to power his laptop and phone, and carried a gas stove and pressure cooker to cook onboard.
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