Ocean rowing, discover an adventurer's preparations

Whether by motorboat, sailboat or any other vessel, the experts at Bateau-immatriculation.com are happy to help you make your projects a reality. And what our team likes most is having the opportunity to assist you in getting on board, by your side. This is what we have done in recent weeks, by taking part, in our own way, in Dominique's adventure! We will detail his project and how we were able to help him achieve it.

Dominique is a family man, married and recently became a grandfather. Originally from Lozère, he lives in Bouches-du-Rhône and works as an executive in a refinery in the department. He has always been passionate about sports and has had plenty of opportunities to practice them: rugby, skiing, windsurfing, ultra-trails, ultra-cycling or ultra-mountain biking, skiing, surfing, mountaineering... For several years, Dominique has been aspiring to a new project: attracted by the sea and the unknown, he decided to undertake a transatlantic crossing aboard a transoceanic rowboat. He explains: "I have little experience in navigation, apart from my windsurfing adventures or a few sailing regattas, as a mere cabin boy. But I need to change activity and I really want to cross the Atlantic Ocean with the strength of my legs and arms, with only the help of the currents." So, the adventurer chose to enter the World's Toughest Row, a transatlantic race between the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, and the island of Antigua, in the West Indies. With this, he will "get to the heart of the matter," with an oceanic crossing that will not allow him to see any islands before the finish.

Dominique is having his own transoceanic rowing boat, an R25 Pair, built, and then joins the Martigues rowing club (13) to start training. He has two years to get up to speed and prepare to fully experience this adventure, in complete safety. At 58, he sets himself the goal of crossing the 3,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in 58 days.
On board his transoceanic rowing boat, Dominique has a main, central space dedicated to rowing, a cockpit – where he will sleep – and a storage area for equipment. As for provisioning, he is required to carry at least the equivalent of 85 days of food, mainly freeze-dried. A desalinator installed on board will also provide him with drinking water: about ten liters each day.

Day and night, he will alternate rowing periods with periods of rest, eating, body care, and communication. For Bateau-immatriculation.com, Dominique explains: "12 hours of rowing per day would be a good average, but never consecutively. We'll have to find the most suitable and regular rhythm!"

While the navigator equips his boat and physically prepares for the transatlantic race, he nevertheless encounters a few difficulties. On the administrative side, in particular, Dominique faces a situation that he cannot resolve: the registration of his transatlantic rowing boat, which is essential for the race, is refused.

Upon reviewing Dominique's file, we identified the problem: at the time of the boat's delivery, due to Brexit, the British manufacturer no longer had a manufacturer code recognized by the European Union. Following our recommendations, its status was updated with the EU.
The DEC (written declaration of conformity) also posed a problem. Poorly completed, the documents related to the vessel's conformity were unusable as they were. On the one hand, the notified body chosen by the manufacturer had an accreditation defect; on the other hand, there was a formatting error in the WIN (watercraft identification number), which is the boat's serial number in French. And what might seem like a detail ultimately prevented the vessel's registration.
Our professionals were able to quickly resolve the situation, notably by contacting the manufacturer. Step by step, our team members worked alongside the manufacturer to review the entire section of the file pertaining to the boat's conformity. Once this was resolved, we were finally able to register the transoceanic vessel, much to Dominique's delight!

Since July 2023, Dominique has rowed over 240 hours, covering approximately 450 nautical miles. He has completed several sea trips lasting 10 to 36 hours, in all conditions. Of course, he also spent about ten nights at sea to test his boat and organize himself. He
is now fully ready for the start of the race, which will take place in December...

If there's one thing Dominique's story reminds us of, it's that we are proud to contribute, in our own way, to the realization of your adventures on the water. So, whatever projects you are considering, contact our team and don't hesitate to entrust us with your case!