My time on the East Coast is drawing to a close. I spent the weekend in Cambridge, Massachussetts, watching the Head of the Charles and enjoying the glorious autumn weather.
The photo shows Margo Pellegrino and me with her friend and supporter Greg Parker, who took up rowing 6 years ago at the age of 53. It’s never too late!
I also had a chance to catch up with Peter King of WaterRower – who kindly loaned me rowing simulators to train on for both the Atlantic and Pacific. I spent up to 16 hours a day on my WaterRower while I was preparing for the Atlantic, so feel well-qualified to vouch for the high quality and realistic rowing motion of the machines. I was pleased to learn that, rather than having their goods made in China as so many companies now do, WaterRower make them here in the US, out of wood from sustainable sources.
And I met for the first time Tim Willsallen, an Australian rower who farms sheep in upstate New York (!) who was a regular texter while I was on the Atlantic. His messages were always interesting and thought-provoking and provided mind-fodder for many otherwise tedious hours at the oars. Yes, even the most wonderful oceanic wilderness can get monotonous when you are rowing for 12 hours a day without a functioning stereo to stimulate the mind….
Tomorrow I bid goodbye to New York to fly back to the West Coast to prepare for a presentation to 900 salespeople at the Brocade conference on November 7. After 5 weeks of constant travel, getting back to the Bay Area will feel almost like going home…