Losing Sight of Shore

The open ocean fascinates me. That big sheet that is the visible surface and the unexplored, vast void beneath. If I'm honest, it scares me too. So this... this I find incredible. Four women rowing unsupported across the Pacific from the US to Australia. That's 8579 miles.... eight thousand five hundred and seventy nine miles! Rowing. These people are nuts! They're also bloody amazing. They talk about being petrified and fascinated on Day 1 at spotting a whale, I think petrified and fascination sums this up quite well. Things go wrong, with false starts and damaged equipment, that pushes their mental strength to the limit. But in the words of their friend who this adventure is in honour of "What do you do when things get difficult? Just keep going". Aside some stuff shot on land, talking about the preparation, it's all self shot which makes it feel really personal. When a tropical storm hits 400 miles away from Hawaii on Day 57, the camera shakes with a ferocity that would terrify an action film director. The equator looks like a bonkers place, weird weather, weird light, killer currents. It looks to be some of the harshest conditions, as they lose miles rather than gain, but there's no respite. 2 hours rowing, 2 hours rest, repeat, over and over. They are absolute machines! but the humour and mental fortitude is incredible and keeps them going. It takes much longer than planned, over 250 days, even to the point of running out of food, losing power. How they don't just break as the final push closes in is remarkable. The whole thing is magnificent, but as is said towards the end of the film, "It's not about the finish, it's about the journey".

I watch a lot of sports/adventure films and a) it's rare they feature women b) they often contain a lot of ego. This is not the case with this film. This is a group of women who are modest and supportive of each other, there are no 'stars' or exhibitionists, and thank goodness no gratuitous 'sexy' shots. This is probably because the film is also made by a woman. It is honest and genuine about how hard the expedition is, it gives a fantastic insight into the relentlessness of a journey like this and the mental battles that the women go through. I both cried and gasped in awe. It is thoroughly enjoyable and really suitable for all (just one swearing moment) - show it to your kids...these women are fantastic role models for all.

Every journey is a journey inside. This movie is a great example of that with beautiful story telling, with ups and downs, dramas and excitements, laughs and cries. It's like a lifetime squeezed into 1.5 hours with everything that can be experienced.

Unfortunately not all of us have the courage to try something like they've done, yet everyone, regardless of their situation in life can relate to their experiences and emotions while going through the challenges they've faced throughout their journey.

When we are out of our comfort zones and we don't have a role to play like we do in our every day lives, we start to face with our fears, insecurities, emotions and until we find our true identity deep inside this process continues and that's what you can see in this movie with everyone's story and this could also inspire you to do the same, not as the exact same physical journey but a journey inside, which is more crucial than any other journey.

It's incredibly inspiring and touching, I'm so touched by it because although it might seem like pointless or an unnecessary risk to take to most people, to me it's probably the most meaningful thing a human being can do in life: to find your true self and inspire others to do the same. That's why we exist in the first place. Our careers, obligations, identities, the roles we play in everyday lives are things we should leave behind internally and that's what they did and it helped them to know themselves much better than before and find their true selves.

So I'm more interested in the inner journey they've gone through than the actual physical experience but they go hand in hand and the challenges we put ourselves in enable us to go through that inner journey, so I really appreciate their courage, their humbleness and their beauty in general.

Thanks so much for everyone who have contributed to this project and it's a pity that it's not well known as it deserves to be. And it's also an incredibly beautiful and inspiring example for all the women around the world, especially in the countries where women still suffer from man-dominated way of living conditions (pretty much almost the whole world).

Thanks so much to those beautiful women for having the courage to find themselves and inspiring us with this beautiful story. Namaste!

Having rowed an ocean myself I felt every single muscle tweak, mental questioning and fear of failure that these 6 ladies endured for 9 months. This is a great documentary and one routes for every single one of them and their own personal journeys. I recall chatting with Laura on an ergo outside Twickenham on a cold and windy day back in 2013 I think and knew that she had the "right stuff". Enjoy, I did.

How did they survive the big waves !!! They just filmed minutes of their trip !! Which brings wonders & questions of what happened in between these hours...!

How you call it achievement while you getting help every now and then!!

Punch of lies