Page 16 - ROTO Magazine Winter 2022.pub

Rotary Magazine for District 1210

Transatlantic rowers talk of their experience

In March 2021, Wellington Rotary hosted four locals to one of its, then online, meetings, Aged between
52 and 60, they were in training to take on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge - a 3,000 mile
unsupported rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera to Antigua. They were aiming to
raise a total of £100,000 to benefit Severn Hospice and the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
In October this year, three of the crew returned to the club, this time
at a face to face meeting, and told of their success in meeting the
challenge. They spoke of the good parts and the tough parts of the
experience.
A long tie before the event, the crew managed to write-off their
intended boat whilst training - but fortunately and unusually, a
replacement was available - the cost of which was covered by their
insurance.
They told of the time when the boat had been taken to a publicity
Wrekin Rowers Stuart Richards event and when towing the boat back to base the driver looked in his
alongside Stuart Shepherd (left) mirror to see the trailer and boat were no longer behind - all was well
and Martin Skeehan (right) with as it had travelled in a straight line and had come to rest safely on its
Club President Richard Studd trailer a little way back on the road.
(centre) and host Maurice Lamb.
During the challenge, the group manned the oars in two hour shifts -
two hours of rowing followed by a break of two hours where they had to eat, do odd jobs of
maintenance, go to the toilet and get some sleep. They spoke of the food - how one found it a struggle to
eat it and felt sick even from the smell of it and the problem they encountered soon into the journey
when they discovered the replacement gas canisters on board had the wrong fitting. It was cold food for
the rest of the journey - and no hot coffee!
They also recounted the time when a 190 metre cargo ship was coming
up close behind them. Luckily after a few attempts, they made contact
with the ship and it changed its course!
The challenge started on 12 December and the rowers spent Christmas
and New Year at sea. They paused for a break covering the 15 minutes
before and after midnight as 2021 moved into 2022. They had a
few festive treats on board but their
Christmas Puddings were minimal.
Around 750 miles from home, they were sitting in tenth place in the
fleet (ahead of full armed forces crews with people half their age) when
they were struck by a Marlin fish, which made a hole in the bottom of
the boat with its spike (similar to that of a swordfish) about the size of
an orange. It broke the seam to a second compartment in the boat
which meant the boat was taking on a lot of water. “The hit from the
Marlin literally stopped the boat in its tracks with the force of the
impact”. The boat was not in any danger of sinking due to its great
design but with two lockers filled with water, the boat was listing to
starboard significantly and the rowers needed to do what they could to repair the damage.
Due to the size and location of the hole, the best repair was to fabricate a cover over the hole from the
inside of the compartment (a sandwich box lid was used!). It didn’t give a complete seal but with water
pumped out and a mixture of accumulated rubbish, food that
wasn’t liked (in the packets still) and blown up fenders placed in
the lockers it left room for only a minimum quantity of water.
The consequence was an extra 100 litres of extra water being
carried for the remainder of the journey (the equivalent to
another crew member) and the balance of the boat had to be
managed in innovative ways.
The crew arrived in Antigua on 21st January 2022, taking a total
time of 40 days, 12 hours and 33 minutes. They passed their
fundraising target by raising over £122,000.

16 ROTO WINTER 2022