0:00:15.173,0:00:18.811
Hello, my name is Kārlis,[br]and I am addicted.

0:00:20.143,0:00:22.050
First time when I noticed my addiction

0:00:22.050,0:00:25.410
was when I sat by the piano[br]at the age of six.

0:00:26.220,0:00:30.072
Without any knowledge or notes,[br]I just let myself go.

0:00:30.672,0:00:35.291
The composition was both flowing[br]and very impulsive.

0:00:35.291,0:00:38.811
Overwhelmed by the creative process,[br]I was delighted.

0:00:39.621,0:00:41.481
My sister was shouting,

0:00:41.481,0:00:46.076
"Stop it! It sounds horrible![br]You don't know how to play."

0:00:46.971,0:00:51.761
My grandma, however, told her to stop[br]interrupting me as I was composing.

0:00:52.851,0:00:58.584
I had no idea what composing meant,[br]but the composing was really cool.

0:00:58.584,0:01:02.136
I felt very similar when I[br]was in mountains 14 years later.

0:01:02.616,0:01:07.576
First, the creative process[br]in my childhood was true to the bone,

0:01:07.576,0:01:10.734
and after spending two weeks[br]in the middle of the adventure,

0:01:10.734,0:01:13.278
everyone in our group became just as true.

0:01:13.978,0:01:17.676
Second, if you want to climb a new route,

0:01:17.676,0:01:21.316
you have to improvise[br]without any instructions or descriptions.

0:01:22.206,0:01:26.138
I had had some adventure[br]improvisations before -

0:01:26.138,0:01:28.102
with Nordic skates,

0:01:28.102,0:01:30.208
with ice axes and crampons,

0:01:31.158,0:01:33.055
with skis,

0:01:33.055,0:01:34.349
with bicycles.

0:01:35.079,0:01:38.252
As the years passed,[br]my addiction had become worse.

0:01:38.252,0:01:42.930
When I sat at a place where the road meets[br]the vastness of an ocean,

0:01:42.930,0:01:47.541
I was wondering: "Is the end of the road[br]also the end of the adventure?"

0:01:49.571,0:01:51.562
I sat at the shore

0:01:51.562,0:01:56.179
until I started to see a new road[br]which stretched between the waves.

0:01:56.179,0:01:58.956
That was the road I was about to follow.

0:01:59.636,0:02:02.777
Just like that, a new addiction was born.

0:02:02.777,0:02:07.219
We wanted to cross[br]the South Atlantic Ocean by the new road,

0:02:07.219,0:02:11.479
rowing 6,000 kilometres[br]in a ocean rowing boat,

0:02:11.479,0:02:16.487
without sails, without a motor,[br]and without a support vessel,

0:02:16.487,0:02:21.297
from Namibia to the Summer Olympic[br]and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

0:02:22.227,0:02:24.388
My first alpine instructor said,

0:02:24.388,0:02:29.074
"Write a diary because you won't[br]be able to recall things later."

0:02:29.074,0:02:32.681
Well, he taught me many important things,[br]but this wasn't one of them.

0:02:32.681,0:02:33.954
(Laughter)

0:02:33.954,0:02:37.933
I knew that I would remember[br]everything what is worth remembering:

0:02:37.933,0:02:40.955
early tears blended[br]with salty coastal water;

0:02:40.955,0:02:44.801
the tears were not mine but Gints',[br]my rowing partner's.

0:02:45.631,0:02:47.821
We had just left the harbour,

0:02:47.821,0:02:51.170
and he started to cry,[br]a bit shy, tears of joy.

0:02:52.160,0:02:53.834
And then, he laughed and said,

0:02:54.564,0:02:58.447
"Yeah, man! Thanks for this bright idea,[br]thank you for being here!"

0:02:59.227,0:03:01.636
I had known Gints for eight years,

0:03:01.636,0:03:05.783
and already then, I knew[br]that Gints had experienced a lot.

0:03:05.783,0:03:07.743
He was a journalist,

0:03:07.743,0:03:12.397
he had worked as a news editor,[br]a business consulting instructor,

0:03:12.397,0:03:14.765
he had been a manager[br]of several companies,

0:03:15.615,0:03:17.862
he had two grown-up sons.

0:03:17.862,0:03:21.369
However, I had never ever[br]seen Gints crying.

0:03:22.289,0:03:25.736
Our minds were still polluted[br]with the thoughts of dry land.

0:03:26.466,0:03:30.807
We couldn't believe that the seal[br]didn't want anything from us.

0:03:30.807,0:03:33.388
Suddenly, it dived into depth headfirst,

0:03:33.388,0:03:36.731
leaving just his hind flippers[br]above the water.

0:03:38.101,0:03:40.629
Slowly moving them in all directions,

0:03:40.629,0:03:43.539
it reminded us of a strange dance.

0:03:43.539,0:03:45.581
The seal was just enjoying itself.

0:03:46.321,0:03:51.326
During the night, we could observe[br]it's dancing around the boat.

0:03:52.006,0:03:55.436
As soon as it moved just a couple[br]of metres below the water,

0:03:55.436,0:03:59.065
the water immediately shone[br]with countless bluish lights;

0:03:59.065,0:04:03.300
those were algae, making[br]the seal's tail look much longer.

0:04:04.340,0:04:09.351
Observing the seal, who was just enjoying[br]being in his natural environment,

0:04:10.351,0:04:12.724
was so easy and natural

0:04:13.694,0:04:16.531
that we even forgot[br]to take a picture of it.

0:04:16.531,0:04:17.778
(Laughter)

0:04:17.778,0:04:20.283
(Video starts) (Waves)

0:04:21.160,0:04:25.915
As far as the eye can see,[br]there is only pulsing desert of water.

0:04:26.795,0:04:28.050
Then it gets dark,

0:04:28.760,0:04:30.672
and a couple of hours later,

0:04:30.672,0:04:33.542
an orange moon rises[br]above the black horizon.

0:04:34.672,0:04:38.638
As it gets higher,[br]it rolls out a carpet of silver light.

0:04:39.518,0:04:43.546
The light gently touches the boat[br]and show us the way like a compass.

0:04:44.676,0:04:46.016
[Day 58]

0:04:46.546,0:04:48.824
We were rowing in two-hour shifts.

0:04:48.824,0:04:51.796
One rows for two hours,[br]then rests for two hours,

0:04:51.796,0:04:54.172
and this goes on for 24 hours a day.

0:04:54.812,0:04:59.816
What new or different can be found[br]in such a perfectly adjusted routine?

0:05:00.956,0:05:04.742
Well, remember, if you want to row,

0:05:05.002,0:05:08.296
you have to row[br]while sitting on the rowing seat.

0:05:09.326,0:05:14.809
But, for the third week,[br]I couldn't sit down at all.

0:05:16.043,0:05:19.647
Antibiotics were not helping[br]to deal with the serious health problems

0:05:19.647,0:05:23.094
caused by the lack of vitamins[br]and fresh food.

0:05:23.894,0:05:26.462
We had gone one-third of our way,

0:05:26.462,0:05:29.503
and the doctors recommended us[br]to evacuate ourselves.

0:05:29.503,0:05:31.825
We were supposed[br]to come up with something else.

0:05:32.585,0:05:34.599
Anyone who has ever rowed a boat

0:05:34.599,0:05:38.782
knows how naive the idea[br]to row while standing is.

0:05:39.762,0:05:44.390
Naive, yet it was the only solution[br]we could come up with.

0:05:45.220,0:05:47.647
Two strokes forward, one backwards.

0:05:48.827,0:05:53.117
But slowly and patiently,[br]we learned the new technique.

0:05:53.117,0:05:56.795
What is the feeling[br]when your naive solution works?

0:05:57.475,0:05:59.291
(Video starts) Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

0:05:59.291,0:06:01.305
(Laughter)

0:06:01.305,0:06:04.789
(Applause)

0:06:11.510,0:06:13.400
(Laughter)

0:06:13.400,0:06:14.594
[Night 61]

0:06:14.594,0:06:18.059
Your alarm rings.[br]It's two o'clock in the night.

0:06:18.709,0:06:23.004
The cosiness of a small cabin[br]surrounds you with a delicate warm.

0:06:23.004,0:06:25.644
You can hear approaching waves from afar.

0:06:26.404,0:06:30.507
It starts up like a drag race car -[br]eeerrrh, bum!

0:06:30.507,0:06:31.721
And it crashes

0:06:31.721,0:06:36.486
into six-millimetre plywood wall[br]that separates you from the ocean.

0:06:36.486,0:06:41.127
Refreshed by the two hours of sleep -[br]I even managed to dry my clothes -

0:06:41.767,0:06:47.757
it looks like I'm hesitating[br]to change the completely soaked Gints.

0:06:48.847,0:06:51.618
No! The real fun is about to begin!

0:06:51.618,0:06:53.646
I switch on the right frequency,

0:06:53.646,0:06:56.749
someone may call it a barrier, a shield,[br]or something like that,

0:06:56.749,0:07:00.599
but I don't have time to think,[br]I just open the hatch and jump out,

0:07:00.599,0:07:03.821
once again arriving in my fun mode,[br]in my fun channel.

0:07:04.981,0:07:06.434
Gints was saying something,

0:07:06.434,0:07:09.250
but 90 percent of the words[br]were taken by the wind.

0:07:09.910,0:07:11.803
I shut the cabin door from outside

0:07:11.803,0:07:15.189
and quickly got myself[br]in the rowing position.

0:07:15.189,0:07:18.874
I tried to focus, I tried to see[br]something in the dark.

0:07:19.484,0:07:21.668
Where should I be rowing now?

0:07:21.668,0:07:23.706
I could see absolutely nothing.

0:07:24.876,0:07:26.786
I was closely watching the dark.

0:07:27.246,0:07:28.507
On the left,

0:07:28.507,0:07:30.758
I was holding on to the railing.

0:07:30.758,0:07:35.055
Suddenly, six buckets[br]of refreshing salt water in my face!

0:07:35.055,0:07:38.283
Yeah! Thank you, wave! Thank you, ocean!

0:07:38.283,0:07:40.403
[Day 68]

0:07:40.403,0:07:42.531
(Video starts)[br]Attention! Attention, Jaladi!

0:07:42.531,0:07:45.958
This is rowing boat Linda,[br]rowing boat Linda.

0:07:45.958,0:07:47.517
Do you hear us?

0:07:50.287,0:07:54.518
(Jaladi on the radio) Yes, Linda![br]Good morning, this is Jaladi.

0:07:55.938,0:07:59.392
(On stage) KB: That is how[br]a seven metres long boat starts a chat

0:07:59.392,0:08:02.143
with a 330 metres long tanker.

0:08:02.143,0:08:03.333
(Laughter)

0:08:03.333,0:08:06.534
Immediately, it agreed to be stopped[br]in the middle of the ocean.

0:08:07.184,0:08:11.975
The crew didn't care about losing time[br]or any other potential losses.

0:08:11.975,0:08:14.489
The seamen were ready to share everything.

0:08:14.489,0:08:17.338
"Give us a full list, guys! Don't be shy!"

0:08:19.338,0:08:22.890
The most important things[br]were vitamins and fresh food,

0:08:23.490,0:08:27.440
but we had also been dreaming[br]of cheese sandwiches for a month.

0:08:27.440,0:08:28.591
(Laughter)

0:08:28.591,0:08:34.734
And without any reference to superficial,[br]supernatural and Hollywood clichés -

0:08:34.734,0:08:38.393
"dreams do come true,[br]if only we wish them strong enough" -

0:08:39.293,0:08:44.319
I can honestly say dreams[br]literally came true in front of our eyes.

0:08:45.279,0:08:51.132
The seamen were lowering Christmas gifts[br]into our boat in the middle of July.

0:08:51.662,0:08:53.105
(Laughter)

0:08:53.775,0:08:55.134
Can you imagine

0:08:55.134,0:08:58.357
stopping a fuel truck driver[br]to ask him for a plaster,

0:08:58.357,0:09:00.512
but he also offers his dinner too?

0:09:00.512,0:09:01.918
(Laughter)

0:09:01.918,0:09:06.790
On dry land, my brain filters[br]countless gigabytes of information -

0:09:07.640,0:09:12.065
videos, photos, fake news,[br]real truths, some bullshit -

0:09:12.805,0:09:17.342
but here in the ocean,[br]I got one text message per day.

0:09:18.112,0:09:21.540
Sometimes, one every two days.

0:09:22.420,0:09:25.294
160 signs from the outside world.

0:09:26.374,0:09:30.871
Those were messages from home,[br]messages from my loved ones.

0:09:31.951,0:09:36.167
I remember re-reading[br]every word tens of times.

0:09:36.887,0:09:39.659
I imagined hearing every word in person.

0:09:40.739,0:09:45.062
My inner radar had freed itself[br]from all the useless gigabytes,

0:09:45.062,0:09:49.330
and these small, truthful sincerities[br]touched the horizon of my heart.

0:09:50.180,0:09:53.649
The slowest way to Rio[br]had completely justified its name.

0:09:53.649,0:09:54.789
[Night 140]

0:09:54.789,0:10:00.042
Instead of 100 nights,[br]it was the night 140.

0:10:00.962,0:10:05.489
8,000 kilometres behind us,[br]but it doesn't matter -

0:10:05.489,0:10:09.168
we have 20 kilometres to the shore,[br]and we can't reach it!

0:10:09.168,0:10:10.397
(Laughter)

0:10:10.397,0:10:13.248
The boils keep coming back[br]all over our bodies,

0:10:13.248,0:10:16.436
Gints has broken his ribs two weeks ago,

0:10:16.436,0:10:18.112
upstream, headwinds ...

0:10:18.112,0:10:20.689
Even when the two of us[br]are rowing together,

0:10:20.689,0:10:24.522
we've been throwing further[br]and further back into the ocean.

0:10:25.052,0:10:27.746
We have been months too late[br]for the Olympics,

0:10:27.746,0:10:28.867
(Laughter)

0:10:28.867,0:10:31.581
a week too late for the Paralympics,

0:10:31.581,0:10:33.415
(Laughter)

0:10:33.415,0:10:37.952
and just the very core idea of our goal

0:10:37.952,0:10:41.542
was to row without an engine and sails.

0:10:44.932,0:10:49.358
"I want to go ashore, Kārlis,[br]I really want to go ashore."

0:10:51.128,0:10:53.827
"Please, mate, let's just try[br]for one more day."

0:10:55.488,0:10:57.324
I switch off the navigation monitor

0:10:57.324,0:11:01.455
so I no longer have to see at what speed[br]we are drifting away from the coast.

0:11:02.235,0:11:03.807
(Sighs)

0:11:03.807,0:11:06.479
Meanwhile, Gints[br]was praying for a miracle.

0:11:07.319,0:11:09.489
We were waiting in silence.

0:11:11.759,0:11:13.921
I was trying to get rid of the tension:

0:11:13.921,0:11:16.885
"If it's not meant to happen,[br]it's not going to happen."

0:11:17.475,0:11:21.979
And I let go of something inside of me[br]and felt relieved.

0:11:23.619,0:11:27.584
And two hours later,[br]the stream took boat to the north,

0:11:27.584,0:11:29.922
then to the northwest,

0:11:29.922,0:11:32.139
and by the evening of the next day -

0:11:32.799,0:11:35.296
(Video starts)

0:12:06.153,0:12:08.372
(Cheers)

0:12:10.793,0:12:14.876
Man's voice: Guys, you did it! Yeah!

0:12:15.803,0:12:18.463
For crying out loud, it's unbelievable!

0:12:28.164,0:12:29.755
Yeah!

0:12:33.956,0:12:35.721
KB: Aaaaahhh!

0:12:36.544,0:12:39.461
We are touched[br]to the bottom of our hearts.

0:12:39.461,0:12:40.811
(Laughter)

0:12:40.811,0:12:43.257
Gints Barkovskis: Our skulls[br]have been blown open,

0:12:43.257,0:12:45.307
and our brains were touched by the wind!

0:12:45.307,0:12:47.655
Man's voice:[br]I'm really happy for you, guys!

0:12:48.215,0:12:52.582
GB: A realization[br]that only a miracle can help us,

0:12:52.582,0:12:54.522
so let that miracle happen.

0:12:54.522,0:12:56.124
And it happened.

0:12:57.134,0:13:00.121
(Applause)

0:13:10.504,0:13:13.150
[The first team to row[br]across the South Atlantic Ocean -

0:13:13.150,0:13:15.305
Kārlis Bardelis[br]and Gints Burkovskis (Latvia),

0:13:15.305,0:13:18.136
who rowed from Luderitz, Namibia,[br]to Rio das Ostras, Brazil,

0:13:18.136,0:13:19.999
in 141 days 19 hours and 35 minutes

0:13:19.999,0:13:22.438
between 4 May and 23 September 2016[br]on board Linda.]

0:13:22.438,0:13:24.833
(On stage) KB: I can still see[br]a thousand questions

0:13:24.833,0:13:26.283
in some faces in the audience.

0:13:26.283,0:13:27.319
(Laughter)

0:13:27.319,0:13:29.103
What about sharks? What about whales?

0:13:29.103,0:13:31.679
How did you eat?[br]How did you charge your batteries?

0:13:31.679,0:13:34.435
Well, you can ask[br]all those questions to Google,

0:13:34.435,0:13:36.776
just as we did before this adventure.

0:13:36.776,0:13:37.990
(Laughter)

0:13:37.990,0:13:42.207
The most important thing[br]I wanted to tell you is what I believe in.

0:13:43.167,0:13:46.881
I believe in true tears,[br]I believe in true joy.

0:13:47.951,0:13:52.587
I believe in true humanity,[br]and I still believe in true miracles.

0:13:54.465,0:13:58.494
My diagnosis is simple.

0:14:00.784,0:14:03.124
And luckily, it's for life.

0:14:03.724,0:14:06.260
I'm addicted. I'm addicted to freedom.

0:14:07.664,0:14:09.592
Do you think you are not addicted?

0:14:11.073,0:14:12.498
Thank you.

0:14:12.498,0:14:15.501
(Applause)