New York, NY |
Great Spirits, an
importer and marketer of ultra-premium spirits including
Celtic Crossing(r) Liqueur, is the sponsor of a daring 2-person,
west-to-east row across the Atlantic.The expedition, in a specially-built
rowing vessel named Celtic Crossing, will be the first attempted crossing
by a male/female crew. The row will attempt to break the current
west-to-east world record of 55 days set in 1987 by Tom McClean (GB) he
rowed from St John's Newfoundland to Bishops Lighthouse England.
The crew of Celtic Crossing is Skipper Roy Finlay, 38, an ex-Royal Navy
diver from Bridge-of-Weir, Scotland, and First Mate Colleen Cronin, 29, an
extreme sportswoman from Queens, New York. Both Finlay and Cronin are of
Celtic ancestry and are eager to make a record-setting landfall in Ireland
in September. To break McClean's record, the Celtic Crossing will have to
be in motion 24 hours a day, with each crew member rowing a minimum of 12
hours a day.The ocean row started from the narrows of St. John's Harbor in
Newfoundland and it is hoped will finish at Coney Island in Sligo Bay on
the northwest coast of Ireland, 88 miles from the city of Galway. The
rowers are aiming to row a minimum of 70 miles per day for the 1800
nautical mile length of the journey.
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Difficulties
and Dangers in West-to-East Row
Rowing across the north Atlantic from west-to-east is a far more difficult journey than
the more common journey east-to-west. Going from east-to-west,a oceanrowing boat can take
advantage of the trade winds and currents blowing off the Sahara Desert and down to the
Caribbean. From west-to-east, Celtic Crossing will first head southeast with the Labrador
Current, then pick up the Gulf Stream as it heads east to Ireland. The water is far
colder, and the iceberg density in the North Atlantic is at its highest level in seven
years. The possibility of a northeasterly storm is a constant threat, and wave height can
reach up to 30-feet in the open sea. Wind velocity can reach up to 80 mph during a major
storm, and the chance of the boat capsizing is ever present. These conditions will be met
by the two rowers - Finlay and Cronin - in a boat measuring a mere 26 feet long.
Only ten people have made the oceanrowing journey from west-to-east --- fewer people, in
fact, than have walked on the moon. Celtic Crossing will be the first west-to-east
crossing in the new millennium.
Why Row the Atlantic? |
| According to
Celtic Crossing's Skipper Roy Finlay, the desire to undertake rowing across the Atlantic
is not a case of bravado overcoming good sense but a quest for profound achievement.
"The challenge of rowing across the Atlantic is immense - the constant threat of bad
weather and the difficulties of daily survival are compounded by the sheer physical
stamina needed to keep the boat in motion day after day, week after week," says
Finlay. "I know, with Colleen Cronin's help, that I can do it. When Great Spirits and
I discussed the possibility of attempting a new world record,their belief in me led me to
believe in myself." |
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A unique vessel for a unique journey.
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Celtic Crossing was designed by American boat designer John Scarano along
with Roy Finlay. Finlay and his team built the boat by hand in a St.John's warehouse. It
is a stabilized mono-hull design. There are sliding seats for the rowers and a sleeping
berth that measures slightly over six feet. Celtic Crossing is constructed of wood epoxy
composite of Canadian red cedar. The boat is unsupported while at sea - (no other vessel
will accompany it on its journey). Safety features include an EPIRB (Emergency Position
Indicating Radio Beacon) "so we can push the button if we have to," says Finlay,
along with on-board life rafts. |
The navigation system
will be GPS (Global Positioning System.) Daily life on Celtic Crossing consists of
constant turns at the oars, with Finlay and Cronin sometimes rowing together and sometimes
separately while the other sleeps.Food will be a combination of vacuum-packed and
dehydrated provisions.
The boat will carry 200 liters of iceberg water - extracted from icebergs thousands of
years old and the purest water available. Two desalination units (to remove salt from sea
water rendering it drinkable) will also be on board. Bathroom facilities will be the most
basic - bucket and chuck it. |
Web to provide constant information |
The trans-Atlantic row
by Celtic Crossing will be chronicled via its official website, www.celticcrossingrow.com.
Skipper Finlay will post a daily message on the journey and its progress every day during
the crossing.Visuals will be transmitted via digital photography taken on-board. In
addition, the website of the sponsor of the crossing, Great Spirits Company, will carry
information on the trans-Atlantic row. Great Spirits' websites www.greatspirits.com.
Celtic Crossing Liqueur, for which the rowing vessel is named, is a product made in
Bailieboro in Co. Cavan, Ireland, which is located just 87 miles from Sligo Bay where
Celtic Crossing hopes to reach landfall at the end of its journey.Celtic Crossing Liqueur
is a combination of Irish spirits and cognac, with a taste of honey. The liqueur is
delicious, accessible and infinitely adaptable - it captures the essence of the Celtic
spirit.
According to Mark Andrews, President of Great Spirits, "We salute Roy
Finlay and Colleen Cronin in their daring row across the Atlantic this
summer of 2000. Three cheers for Celtic Crossing!" Great Spirits Company
L.L.C. is a sponsor of this trans-Atlantic row. Celtic Crossing(r) Liqueur
is imported by Great Spirits Company, Manhasset,New York.30% alcohol by
volume. |
Bios for Celtic Crossing Row press kits: |
Skipper ROY FINLAY
The Skipper of Celtic Crossing is Roy N. Finlay, 38, an ex-Royal Navy diver from
Bridge-of-Weir, Scotland. Finlay brings a lifetime of work and adventure on the high seas
to his position leading this trans-Atlanticrow,having started rowing at the age of five in
his native Scotland. Sailing came next on his father's boat, then at the age of fourteen
Finlay joined the cadets of the Royal Gourock Yacht Club, quickly gaining the Helmsman
Certificate allowing him to serve as skipper on the Club's yachts that raced in the Clyde
Estuary. At eighteen Finlay joined the Royal Navy, first serving on the minehunter HMS
Briton and then on the HMS Guernsey as a diver in the mine warfare branch. He also
qualified as coxen of first rigid inflatables, and for six months trained in the weapons
trials division. After four years in the Royal Navy, Finlay received an exemplary
character reference upon discharge. Finlay next embarked on an increasingly challenging
career as a diver and yachtsman, taking the helm of a variety of vessels including a
73-foot Baltic Trader based in Cape Town, South Africa, a 50-foot charter yacht based in
St. Martin in the West Indies, and the 37-foot charter yacht Ganesh that he sailed across
the Atlantic with a crew of two. He skippered the winning yacht in the Gran Canaria
regatta in 1991. As a rower he took a 13-foot dinghy through the lochs that make up the
Caledonian Canal to Inverness in Scotland, as well as kayaked around the coast of Scotland
to raise money for a charity that housed Romanian orphans. Finlay is currently the
expedition builder and skipper of the 26-foot Celtic Crossing, the first stabilized
mono-hull to be powered by oar. He plans on setting a new record for a west-to-east
crossing of the Atlantic this summer of 2000. |
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First Mate COLLEEN
CRONIN
Colleen Cronin, 29, is an extreme sportswoman from Queens, New York.She is no stranger to
peak physical performances, having competed in five New York Marathons throughout the
1990's and the Ireland Marathon in 1999. Cronin also is a long-distance cyclist, and will
be using her leg strength and mental toughness as she assists Roy Finlay in the
trans-Atlantic Celtic Crossing row. Cronin has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a
Master's in Education, both from St. John's University. She has taught religious education
at Sacred Heart academy, volunteered at the Queens (NY) Children's Psychiatric Center and
completed an internship in social work with the Community Mediation Center. Her most
recent position, prior to beginning training for the trans-Atlantic row, was as Group
Auditor for Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield.Cronin is of German and Irish ancestry, and she
first met Finlay while on a visit to Ireland. Her Celtic blood has stirred in her a desire
to break the trans-Atlantic west-to-east rowing record, which she and Finlay hope to do in
early September 2000. |
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Row Facts |
The
goal: To set a new world record rowing across the Atlantic West-to-East
Previous record: 55 days, set in 1987 by Tom McClean St John's
Newfoundland to Bishops Rock Light house England
Crew:Skipper Roy Finlay and First Mate Colleen Cronin, the first
male/female team to attempt such a crossing
Departure: July 28th 2000 20.06GMT 2000
Landing: early September, 2000
Embarkation: the narrows of St. John's Harbor, Newfoundland, Canada
Disembarkation: Coney Island in Sligo Bay on the west coast of Ireland
Sponsor: Great Spirits Company L.L.C., the importer and
marketer of Celtic Crossing(r) Liqueur
The vessel: Celtic Crossing
Type: Stabilized mono-hull
Size: 26-feet in length, 5.5 foot beam
Features: 4 oars, 2 on each side, made of carbon fiber
One 6 foot sleeping berth
Sliding seats
Equipment:
EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)
GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation system
Sat phone
Life raft
Life jackets
200 liters of iceberg water
Dehydrated and vacuum-packed provisions
2 desalination units
Harnesses (to harness crew to vessel)
Integral compass
Hand held compass
VHF radio
Digital camera |
