The fireman’s journey across the Atlantic by rowing took two months.
20:03•Updated 20:32
Firefighter from Espoo Jari Saario rowed across the Atlantic Ocean on January 23rd from Gran Canaria. The nearly 5,000 kilometer journey was completed by hand in a rowing boat. Just last Sunday, Saario celebrated his 51st birthday on the Atlantic Ocean.
Now he has arrived at the destination on the island in the Caribbean Sea, Antigua.
– There is now a man who is tired and has given his all, who put all the bangs in the final pulls, says Jari Saario’s contact person Emmi Pärni.
Originally, Saario was supposed to row to Miami in the United States, but due to the boat’s electrical problems, the small island nation of Antigua, near the Dominican Republic, was chosen as the destination country.
Forward with brute manpower
The boat has solar cells and a small cabin, where Saario could barely sleep. Eating was also ascetic.
– Jallu had bags of dry food, nuts and chocolate in the boat. The water was heated with a camping kettle. There has been electricity the whole time, sometimes the water couldn’t be heated due to rough seas, so Jari ate dry food dry, says Pärni.
The trip took about two months in total.
– There is no toilet on the boat, but a bucket and a bucket. It certainly felt like a luxury to get into a water bath and a real bed after two months of sea travel, Pärni sums up.
On the way back, Saario has planned to row as well. The goal is to row from New York back across the Atlantic to Europe, London in June.
After completing the return journey, he would become the first person to even row back across the Atlantic Ocean.