An Irish man made history by becoming the first person to row from New York City to Ireland.
Damian Browne arrived in Galway on Tuesday after a treacherous 112 days at sea. Between the rolls of the waves, he Instagramed and podcasted about his journey.
After a couple weeks of enjoying the city and rowing up and down the Hudson, the 42-year-old Browne launched his 20-foot boat from Manhattan's Chelsea Piers on June 14.
The former rugby player rowed 3,450 nautical miles for an exhausting 2,686 hours. He had moments of calm seas, stunning sunsets and encounters with sea life. But he also faced dangerous waves, storms — and setbacks.
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Brown started the journey with friend Fergus Farrell in hopes of breaking a world record by rowing across the pond in just 56 days. But Farrell had to be evacuated on day 13 for health reasons — a crushing blow for Browne.
"Not once did I see myself doing this alone, that was never the gig or the point of it. So, yea, I miss him," he said in a video he shared on social media during his journey.
As he closed in on the Irish coast, things got rocky. Literally.
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"The wave just grabbed the boat, flipped me over, broke an oar," Browne said. "I was drifting. And I mean, it was another 20 seconds and we hit the rocks."
Browne managed to crawl onto a large rock and got in touch with a friend to ask for help.
"I saw flashlights kind of shimmering behind a big mound of ground, and I was like 'Ah, somebody's come,'" he said.
The rower was met by officers, offering their help.
"Not the finish I hoped for, but I'm fine, I'm safe, it could've been a lot worse, and — I did it," Browne said.
