In January 2013, the CWF Africa to the Americas Expedition left the coast of Africa to row across the Atlantic Ocean – propelled entirely by four adventurous Canadian and American men. Their over 3,500 nautical mile journey to the US coast was intended to raise awareness for the Canadian Wildlife Federation while conducting research on both the ocean and themselves along the way.
For this young crew attempting to be the first ever to row across the Atlantic, sleep researchers from the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance in Calgary designed a study to understand sleep, rest, and recovery impacts of the high-volume physical output needed to sustain such a gruelling journey. All four rowers were equipped with Fatigue Science Readibands, which were used to collect data on their sleep quantity, sleep quality and cognitive effectiveness in relation to sleep patterns.
Unfortunately, the waters of the Atlantic were not kind to the OAR Northwest rowers – who found themselves battling more than just fatigue.
This Sunday, April 13th, NBC’s Dateline features ‘Capsized’, sharing the story of the OAR Northwest and their expedition.
