Nicolas Carvajal Uribe became the first Colombian to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat after more than 80 days alone at sea.
The 31-year-old British resident arrived April 20 in the coastal city of Georgetown, Guyana, to the welcome of family and government officials, after crossing 3000 miles on the high seas to aid cancer research.
But though he spent all those days in the “blue desert”, the many messages of support posted on his website kept him connected.
“Though 80+ days alone at sea I not once felt really alone thanks to your kind words,” he wrote in a final blog post.
A life-long love of the ocean and the suffering of seeing both his brother and grandfather fight cancer drove Carvajal to take up oars and set himself against the vast Atlantic.
Throughout the journey he blogged on his website with the use of a satellite phone, updating observers on the weather and his progress, on whirlpool currents, his tortured hands and a painful rear end, and the sea life — jellyfish, sharks and dolphins — swimming beneath his hull.
“Since the ocean burst with life I have been rowing on a neon rainbow consisting of about six to 10 dorado that are constantly swimming,” he wrote.
Carvajal left the Canary Islands in January in a specially designed boat fit with provisions, first aid and other necessities for the long-haul row.
His quest raised $4,000 for charity Cancer Reasearch UK, according to El Tiempo.