Around the World with Louis Margot

While you read these lines, Louis Margot is rowing somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Swiss rower has successfully completed the first leg of his adventure around the world – as we reported in March, he is currently attempting to become the fastest man to circumnavigate the world under human power. The current record of five years, 11 days, 12 hours and 22 minutes was achieved between 2007 and 2012 by Turkish adventurer Erden Eruç; Margot hopes to get around in something under three years.

The first leg of his journey was a bike ride from his hometown of Morges, Switzerland, towards Portimao in Portugal. Contacted just before he swapped his bike for his rowing boat, Louis acknowlegded that “the first leg on the bike was pretty smooth, with some minor issues – a couple of punctures, or crossing the border between Spain and Portugal on the highway, which was pretty stressful”.

The former member of the Swiss Under 19 National Rowing Team jumped on his boat, heading to Canary Islands, for the second leg of his adventure – rowing from Portimao to Cartagena, Columbia. “But my first start on the ocean was really stressful and disappointing as I had to turn back after three days, because we had some really bad weather coming in. It was a real tough moment for me, alomst a failure – I had to wait three weeks to be back on the boat and start my rowing journey again”. 

It took Louis Margot 19 days to reach the Canary Islands – the very first time he spent that much time on the ocean. “That was, and remains the biggest challenge for me thus far, adds Margot.  The fear of being alone was intense, and the biggest hurdle is loneliness and sleep. The boat is constantly rocking and I struggle to have a proper sleep – on average, I have only 4 hours of good sleep per day. Being alone is very challenging and I am thinking a lot about friends, family and home.”

A tough adventure – but he was prepared for it. Margot says that he physically feels really good, and mentally prepared to spend the next 2+ months alone in the ocean. A much more different challenge than the 2000m race he was used to doing in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe. “Having rowed at high level definitely helps me to push it even if the body says no. Of course, it is a very different type of effort, but you could feel the same feelings of fear or failure in some sense. You can stress a lot before you start your race but when you are in it, you are focused and don’t think about anything else. You focus on the present.”

Louis is now well on his way to Cartagena in Columbia – if everything goes to plan, he should reach the South American continent in February.

To follow his adventure, click here.