Row across the Atlantic | Jari Saario has a change in his plans, he will jump into the car soon

Sport|Row across the Atlantic

from Helsinki fireman Jari Saarion the wild rowing journey from Canada to Finland has included many twists and turns and changes to the plan, and on Monday, the journey took a new turn – or actually a shortcut.

During this year Saario has rowed across the Atlantic, first the southern and then the northern route. Instead of going around Britain, he rowed through the Caledonian Channel across Scotland and ended up on the shores of the North Sea.

Instead of leaving the northern part of Britain – in defiance of experts’ recommendations – to cross the North Sea, Saario repaired his boat’s electrical problems near London at the boat manufacturer Rannoch’s factory.

He finally made it on Thursday of last week from Southwold, which is located about 200 kilometers northeast of London.

The winds soon pushed Saario close to the Dutch coast, and on Monday evening he told about his new plans.

The purpose is to land in Denmark or Germany in the next few days, after which a Dane who is part of the background team Lasse Hansen drive through Saarland Denmark to Copenhagen.

“The winds are starting to blow east and southeast. It is completely impossible to get around Denmark, there are not enough manpower,” said Saario via satellite phone.

“I have promised to come home for Christmas. I can’t go around Denmark, there’s no way I’d have time to row in short bursts.”

During the visit to Denmark, Saario is supposed to buy new batteries. The boat’s many electrical faults were repaired in London, but the old batteries do not charge properly. For example, Saario has not used the autopilot at all in the last few days to save electricity for his water maker.

Island hurja rowing contractor is not an official record attempt, so he does not break any rules by taking a car ride. Merta has been plowed to such an extent during the year that the correction leaves nothing to be desired.

“It doesn’t hurt at all. The main goal was the Atlantic back and forth. This is an achievement without even going around Denmark.”

The island estimates that it will land fairly close to the Kiel Channel, which connects the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The 98-kilometer-long canal is one of the busiest in the world, and there’s no point in a rowing boat.

Saario says that Hansen is still finding out whether Saario would get an exception permit for rowing the canal. However, the journey will probably continue in a few days by car.

But the journey is certainly not over yet. On the weekend in Copenhagen, Saario will board the boat again, which has served as his home for more than 160 days this year.

There is a stage left, which Saario has completed before. In 2019, Saario rowed the 1,250-kilometer distance in nine weeks, but now it was supposed to be done faster.

“I would estimate it takes 4-6 weeks to go from Köpi to Helsinki.”