Track Us Live!
THE START | the big apple
NEW YORK CITY
The Statue of Liberty, a sign of hope for the 3.5 million Irish Immigrants processed on Ellis Island, arriving to begin a new life after arduous journeys across the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Statue of Liberty, a signal of departure as two Irish men begin the adventure of a lifetime, attempting to create history and leave a lasting legacy on the streets they grew up on.
the finish | a tribal welcome
galway bay
Their destination? Their hometown, beautiful Galway on The West Coast of Ireland.
Their mode of transport? A 6.2m ocean rowing boat. Their route? 5000 kms across one of the most ferocious and unforgiving stretches of water on the planet. The hope? Give kids & adults alike a real image a touchable action to emulate and inspire them to dream big in whatever avenue of life they decide to pursue.
The Boat
Custom built. Built for speed.
Built to break records.
“The ethos of the new design for Project EMPOWER is founded on the same principles as the now classic ocean rowing shape. At Seasabre we are proud of the fact that every boat that leaves our workshop is truly powered by it’s intended energy source. We believe that if you set yourself the challenge of crossing an ocean, you should feel like you’ve pulled the boat every stroke of the way and not in anyway dilute the effort.
Our boats are also well known for their sea-keeping ability and in the North Atlantic where Damian & Fergus are heading this is even more important than Damian’s previous row to Antigua as the potential sea conditions and temperature is far less forgiving. The beauty of designing and building a bespoke boat is we can tailor these aspects to suit the above parameters to ensure a swift and safe passage from New York to Galway.”
– Justin Adkin Founder & Master Boatbuilder at Seasabre
The Film: WAVES OF CHANGE
Produced by Heavy Man Films (Ire) & Playhouse Media (USA), Waves of Change is an hour-long, adventure documentary showcasing the thrilling voyage across the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean. Armed with nothing but the power of their arms, the will of their mind and the bond of their friendship, these two Galway Natives will attempt to tackle all that the mighty Atlantic ocean throws at them. Rowing a sleek but humble rowboat from New York to Galway, the lads will attempt to break a world record that has stood for 125 years in this thrilling feature length documentary.
Waves of Change is a brutal, exciting and inspiring tale of human endurance.
Waves of Change will test the endurance of Damian and Fergus’ friendship, their bodies and their minds as they battle the elements and face off against wild storms, freezing weather hurricanes and, of course, the crippling isolation of the vast Atlantic Ocean.
the row
In the summer of 2022 lifelong Galway friends Damian Browne and Fergus Farrell will complete an unsupported row across the Atlantic from New York City to Galway. In the process Damian will become the first man in history to row the Atlantic one way, climb Mount Everest and row the Atlantic the other way.
This row will be a history-forming globally recognised world record attempt. Through clever use of technology, it will focus the world’s attention on an amazing adventure that will culminate in Galway on the West Coast of Ireland.
1 6.2m Boat
2 Friends
2 Oars
5000 kms
Unrelenting Cold
10m Waves
Giant Eddys
Ferocious Storms
1.5 Million Oar Strokes
The Hardest Challenge on the Planet?
World Record Attempt
The World Record Attempt: The ambition in this endeavour is fused through every aspect of the project however it is most evident in the projects stated goal of achieving a world record for the unsupported row across the Atlantic from New York City to Galway. In the history of the world this has only been attempted on 11 previous occasions. The world record has been in situ for over 120 years. In total there have been 52 previous attempted crossings by way of unsupported row. Only 11 of these attempts were by pairs and only 6 of those pairs managed to complete the row. In total only 18 of the previous attempts managed to complete the crossing. In addition to the 6 completed attempts by pairs there have also been successful crossings by 6 solos, 5 fours and 1 five.
The pairs world record is held by Norwegians George Harboe and Frank (Gabriel) Samuelsen who were the first pair to attempt the row. They crossed from New York to the Scilly Isles in 1896 in a time of 55 days and 13 hours. Incredibly after a short break in the Scilly Isles they continued their row for another 5 days at sea to Le Harve in France. This world record attempt will make waves that will crash records and be felt in every corner of the globe.
