Summer solstice sunrise sea row

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I hope every one of you had a good Summer solstice. In my last blog post I was heading out bright and early the following day for a sunrise row on the sea. It is pitch dark at 3.30am in June, but there was a faint glow towards the east by the time I had driven the short distance to Newhaven, where we were launching the boat.

We set out shortly after the huge Dieppe ferry arrived at 4am. It towered above us as we headed for the harbour mouth. After rowing for months on a lake (it’s just a large pond, really) and a couple of times on the river, I was shocked by how different if felt to row at sea.

The large swells lifted and moved the boat in unexpected ways, at times making the oars sink too deeply into the water, and at others, push nothing but air. Outside the harbour our gig boat felt small and insignificant in the open water.

That’s the moon hanging above the harbour breakwater in the rosey dawn glow before the 4.15 sunrise. In case you are wondering, it was completely worth the lack of sleep to be out there on the water to experience this. And yes, I did follow up the row with a swim, two swims actually, one after the row and one as the sun set at 9.15pm. You can see more photos of my landscape photographs here.

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