The Crossing

I have been reading "The Crossing" by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle.James is of course an Olympic rower while Ben has done many programmes for BBC, including Castaway and Country File.I met Ben briefly recently at the WI Autumn meeting in Winsford, Cheshire, where I bought the book and had it signed by him.Ben gave a fascinating talk at the meeting about "The Crossing" but after reading the book, I am sure that he glossed over what the journey was really like.
The book is written by both James and Ben. It's an incredibly honest account of what they endured during the crossing of the Atlantic in a rowing boat.When they decided to compete in the Atlantic Rowing Race,they thought they knew what they were taking on.They would be rowing nearly 3000 miles of ocean in all kinds of weather conditions, a colossal test of physical and mental endurance.What they didn't realise was just how many other things they would have to cope with, including the loss of vital equipment, their boat capsizing , having to survive on extremely limited water rations after their desalinator broke down. Both men are totally honest about the times they nearly despaired and wondered just what they had taken on.
When they crossed the finishing line in first position, they had pushed themselves to the utmost limit, physically,psychologically and emotionally. What James and Ben achieved showed the incredible limits to which the human body can be pushed. It is a cracking good read and if you haven't read it for yourself, do so.