A riveting first-person account and history of rowers who have attempted to navigate across the Atlantic More people have climbed Mount Everest than have rowed across the Atlantic. For more than seventy days, Adam Rackley and his rowing partner ate, slept and rowed in a boat seven meters long by two meters wide, in one of the world’s most extreme environments. This is his story of adventure, endurance, and self-discovery. They were following in the wake of pioneers. In 1896 George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, a pair of Norwegian fisherman, crossed the 2,500 miles in a wooden fishing dory––and their record stood for 114 years. John Fairfax, a smuggler, a gambler, and a shark hunter, was the first to complete the feat singlehandedly in 1969. Others have followed; some have not survived the attempt. This is their story, too. "Straightforward and engaging- relentless as the sharks encountered." - Sports Illustrated ‘Incredible true stories from the limits of endurance, written by a man who’s been there’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author and adventurer '"Rackley writes with brutal candor and a storyteller's flair - providing readers memorable on-board views of a world most will ever see." - Publishers Weekly "Told in an earnest and captivating style, first-time author Rackley will delight both armchair enthusiasts and real-life adventurers when they discover another sport for their dreams." -  Library Journal ‘We need the people who climb mountains, cross oceans, voyage to the moon, to tell us who we are.  Adam Rackley is one of the very few who has both the literary skill and the sensory intelligence to make the rest of us understand what exactly is out there, and why. In this gripping and superior book he is both seaman and historian, telling the story of his own voyage and the rowers who have gone before him’ Peter Nichols, author of A Voyage for Madmen   Adam Rackley is a former Platoon Commander with the British Army, has worked as a fund manager, and lectures on finance at the BPP Business School. Salt, Sweat, Tears is his first book. Adam Rackley was born in the Netherlands in 1981. He studied at the University of York and received a degree in finance and financial law from the University of London. He was a platoon commander with the Black Watch at Fort George in Scotland before working as a fund manager and lecturing on finance at BPP Business School. He lives in South London with his wife, Alice. Salt, Sweat, Tears is Rackley’s first book. Equipment on a Modern Ocean Rowing Boat Glossary AIS  – Automatic Identification System. A system which shares information between vessels within a short range of each other over the VHF radio system. AIS information can be programmed to display on a vessel’s GPS screen. ARGOS  – Satellite beacon-system which can be used to track vessels anywhere in the world. Autohelm  – GPS-controlled steering system. Backstops  – The point at the end of a rower’s stroke when the legs are fully extended, shoulders are back and the handles of the oars are pulled back towards the chest. Beam sea  – Waves coming in to the side of a boat. A beam sea may cause a boat to rock violently or capsize. Bow  – The front of the boat. Rowers face away from the direction of travel and so row with their backs to the bow. Bow rowing position  – The foremost rowing position in the boat. The rower in the bow seat steers the boat using a footplate which is linked to the rudder by steering lines. Cam cleat  – Spring-loaded mechanism which uses friction to stop a rope pulling through in one direction, but allows the rope to move freely when being pulled in the opposite direction. Cleat – Fitting onto which a rope can be tied off. Dory  – Small, flat-bottomed fishing boat. Draught  – Vertical distance between a boat’s waterline and the keel. Drogue  – A funnel-shaped device deployed underwater from the bow or stern of a boat to keep her facing into the weather, reducing the likelihood of capsizing and slowing her drift. EPIRB  – Emergency Position-Indicating Rescue Beacon. A small device mounted on the outside of a boat that is activated manually or after prolonged submersion in seawater in order to request a rescue. The EPIRB sends a satellite message and emits a radio signal, allowing rescuers to pinpoint the boat’s location. Gunwale  – Top edge of the side of a boat. On a rowing boat this is a flat surface for sitting on, jumping off, or pulling yourself back into the boat after a swim. Keel  – ‘Spine’ of a boat, running along the length of its hull. A deep keel reduces the effect of the wind and swell, allowing the boat to hold its course more easily, while also making the boat more stable by lowering its centre of gravity. Knots  – A knot is one nautical mile per hour. Nautical mile  – A measure of distance used by mariners equivalent to one minute of arc at the equator. (There are sixty minutes of arc in one degree.) One nautical mile is equivalent to 1.15 land miles. Port  – The le