Atlantic-rowing Hongkonger feels ‘anxiety mixed with excitement’ on start line of 4,900km ocean race
- Josh Stone begins his Atlantic adventure this weekend, and the task at hand is beginning to dawn on him and his crewmates
- The Atlantic Challenge starts in La Gomera and finishes in Antigua
Josh Stone is trying to channel his emotions into positive energy as he prepares to row the Atlantic. The Hongkonger is in La Gomera, about to embark on a 4,800km journey to Antigua by row boat.
“It’s just getting real. You start to envisage what is happening, you can visualise it better,” he said.
“Something this huge, it’s hard to imagine what you’ll go through, but the closer you get it becomes easier. It’s interesting to feel this anxiety mixed with excitement. Basically, I just want to get it done, to get started, just waiting around is the worst bit.”
Stone is part of a four-person team – For A Fitter Planet – in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, starting on December 12. There are 21 teams in the race this year ranging from solos to fours.
Stone – born and raised in Hong Kong – and his team are expecting to take 35 to 40 days, fast enough for them to finish on the podium. They will row in shifts for two hours, sleep for two hours, all day and all night until they finish.