[lone voyage] fear his constant companion

These things really do inspire us. An Italian rower has almost crossed the Pacific by sea from Peru to Australia and got within 64 km before fierce storms stopped him:

"I didn't put the cherry on top of the cake. But the cake is very good, very big and I will never forget about it." He said that seeing his wife Francesca waiting for him was "one of the best moments in my life".

Bellini said that he had not walked more than a few metres since February, as he averaged about 30 miles a day in his 7.5-metre (25-foot) boat. His body weight dropped by 15kg (33lbs) during his 10 months at sea.

Fear, he added, was his companion on the voyage. He kept in contact with a support team via a satellite phone and lived on dried food, drinking rain water and purified sea water.

With a wife like her waiting at the other end, I'd be pretty darned inspired to complete the journey but having sailed those conditions downunder, they're not nice. He said that fear was his constant companion. Understatement of the year, I should have thought.