
They trained their bodies. They prepared and packed all forms of gear and gadgetry. But still, like all adventurers learn, they couldn't control one thing that threatened to devour them: nature.
Andrew Towne is back in Minneapolis, but his mind remains firmly somewhere off the southern coast of South America. It's there last month that he and five other men became the first people to row a boat unaided 600 miles across the fierce ocean waters of the Drake Passage, destination Antarctica. They had expected to be on the water at least 21 days, but finished in just more than 12, and hit land Christmas Day. They spent at least two full days on sea anchor in their 29-foot vessel, said Towne (shown in glasses), because the ocean was too stormy to paddle in, making their feat more remarkable.

"I'm focused on it right now very deliberately because when I shift back to work and other parts of life I will have a record I can show my kids some day," he said Tuesday.
What a record it will be.
One of his row mates, Jamie Douglas-Hamilton, of Scotland, wrote on Instagram that he suffered frostnip, a mild form of frostbite, on his fingers and toes in the constant icy, wet conditions. Another partner, renown adventurer Colin O'Brady, wrote online of the mix of exhaustion and euphoria. Towne dealt with leg and foot injuries brought on by repetitive motion. Teams of three rowed 90 minutes at a stretch, took a 90-minute break, and then started the routine all over again for the duration.
"It was the hardest thing any of us have ever done as we battled four storms in the Southern Ocean with waves reaching 40 foot and … the weather was against us with constant side waves semi-capsizing us many times."
In an interview Tuesday, Towne talked about moments of harrowing storms and worry, injuries suffered during the relentless pace, and bonding with his mates. His comments are edited for length and clarity:
Most people know this is something unparalleled, but can't conceive of doing it. How would you describe it?