Seventy-six Days at Sea Continued from Page 22 he required to qualify for the Atlantic Row- ing Race, including designation as Master Yachtsman, as well as his Sea Survival, First Aid at Sea and radio licence registrations. Attalla did not restrict his training to building endurance and strength. As a chiropractor, he knew that he had to teach his body how not to get hurt, during the tough Atlantic journey. He knew that he had to become physically tougher and not just stronger. Attalla would bike into the B.C. wilds to deliberately earn himself bumps and bruises similar to the extent of injuries he could expect to sustain on a rowboat in the Atlantic Ocean. On a different plane, Dr. Paul made sure that he took care of his spirit by guarding his time with his young family. While training, he would fi nd creative ways to incorporate them; for example, by taking the kids bik- ing with him and teaching them their ABC’s along the way. “Although, toward the end I certainly was not the husband or father that I could be,” Attalla quietly admits. “I tried to not let training interfere with family time, and to involve them as much as I could.” Preparation for this sort of endeavour, of course, also requires that the participant fi nd supporters for the venture. “In total, it cost $200 000, just to get to the start line of the race.” says Attalla. He is grateful to the British Columbia Chiroprac- tic Association as well as to Scotiabank, who came in at the 11th hour with just the sup- port needed to turn the dream of participat- ing in the race into a reality. Toward the very end of the preparation period, Attalla recognized that not being in San Sebastian around the other rowers probably kept him from the contagion of panic that seemed to affl ict them. Attalla kept his mind on the fact that he intended to stay happy and have fun during the race! But also, Attalla was much too busy with the completion of the one thing that should have seemed obviously important enough to warrant a high level of sustained atten- tion from its crafters – his boat! THE WOODVALE SOLO-CLASS ROWBOAT Attalla’s craft, christened “The Spirit of Fer- nie”, was a Woodvale solo-class rowing boat – with no sails or motors involved. Its length was seven metres, its beam measured two 26 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | JUNE 2008 he had no intention to turn that speculation into reality. Off he fl ew to Heathrow Airport, from whence, without issuing warning to the manufacturer, he headed straight to where his boat was being stalled. For two weeks, Attalla worked with Dr. Paul, at sea, at last! metres and weighed 280 kilograms. The boat was designed to give the long-distance solo rower the comfort and stowage to com- plete ocean crossings. The craft’s cabin vol- umes made the boat highly self-righting and the lowered aft cabin fl oor made it possible for the rower to sit upright, not stooping, when taking shelter from weather. The ad- dition of a centre board to this type of boat meant that it could be rowed into weather. Rowboats for these competitions are made, largely, in the United Kingdom – and there are no manufacturers in Canada. Ap- proximately two years before the race, At- talla hired a marine architect and hooked up with a manufacturer in England, who assured him his boat would be ready well in time for the race. Keeping in regular contact with the company that was build- ing his boat offered Attalla assurance that everything was progressing nicely and, so, he remained relatively relaxed, at least as far as his craft was concerned – until one day in September 2007, just weeks before the start of the race, he received a call informing him that his boat was far from fi nished and would probably not be ready on time. How could this be? THE RACE TO THE STARTING LINE Attalla was faced with the possibil- ity of his dream being washed out to sea without him. At this point, Attalla’s happy anticipation and posi- tive thoughts abandoned him and he became seriously determined not to legitimize the doubts held by the race’s organizers, regarding the suc- cess of a Canadian entering, never mind fi nishing, the race. He knew he had been considered a long shot but www.canadianchiropractor.ca the craftsmen who were building his boat. Not having planned for resources to sup- port a trip to England, Attalla camped out in the manufacturer’s offi ce – to their cha- grin – while diverting the efforts of as many workers as possible to his own craft. At the end of this stint, Attalla went home and remained on pins and needles right up to the day of the race, as his boat encountered glitch after glitch in its creation. But, just in time for the starting line, the boat hit the water in San Sebastian, with Paul Attalla in it. Despite the challenge to be ready for the start of the race, Attalla re- mains greatful to all who crafted his vessel. “The people in San Sebastian were not only friendly but very helpful, toward the end,” recalls Attalla gratefully. He recruited his two daughters, Amy and Joy, to help him decorate the boat with stickers and with the good luck notes he had received from family, friends and col- leagues. On December 2, 2007, amid the sounds of his friends and family singing O Canada, and the blowing of party horns, the race began. “I took one huge stroke out,” he recalls, “and threw my arms into the air. As far as I was concerned, I had earned one victory already.” Please join us in our next issue for Part 2 of “Seventy-six Days at Sea” Dr. Attalla tells Canadian Chiropractor about his time at sea and how being a chiropractor infl uenced his progress during the race. Find out how the jour- ney has impacted his life and his practice – and enjoy Dr. Attalla’s photos of his amazing Atlantic voyage. •
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor June 2008: Page 26
