RACE News 13 November
1997
The search for missing rowers, Matthew and Edward Boreham from Sunbury
in south west London, ended successfully today when they were sighted at
1150 this morning by the Portuguese air and sea rescue plane which left
Lisbon this morning. At 1515, the news came through that they have
transferred from their boat to the Challenge support yacht, 3Com.
They are both well and explained what had happened. "We lost all
electrical power on Friday meaning we couldn’t use our water maker. By
Monday evening we felt that we could not continue and we activated our
EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacon)."
According to the brothers, the instructions in the EPIRB manual said to
tow the beacon behind the boat which they did using a piece of string.
Unfortunately, the string broke and the beacon drifted away from the
boat. This explains why the signal and 3Com were 21 miles away from the
Borehams when they were located.
David Tomkinson, skipper of 3Com, said, "It has been a very long 36
hours but we are delighted to have found them."
Before they left Los Gigantes on the 12 October 1997, all teams taking
part in the Port St Charles Barbados Atlantic Rowing Race had to take
certain essential safety equipment on board, included in which was 150
litres of emergency water rations on their boats, which would last for
33 days.
Matthew is now phoning his wife, Alison, who is over the moon,
"It’s absolutely fantastic, brilliant news!"
Say Race Organiser, Sir Chay Blyth, "We have been planning this
Race for over two years and have included conceivable safety precaution
in the rules and regulations. However you cannot legislate for
everything. We are all thrilled to bits that they have been found safe
and sound."
In accordance with maritime law, their boat, Spirit of Spelthorne which
cannot be towed behind 3Com, will now be destroyed by setting fire to
it, the only way to guarantee that it will sink.(The following report
from the Electronic Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk
Nov 14 1997)
Brothers
rescued from rowing boat in mid-Atlantic
By Barbie
Dutter
Atlantic Rowing Race - Latest News
TWO brothers who were
missing for nearly a week during a 3,000-mile rowing race across the
Atlantic were rescued from their 24ft boat yesterday.
Matthew and Edward Boreham had spent three weeks without power, living
on emergency water rations and navigating their vessel by a compass and
the stars. They lost contact with the race organisers last Friday when
their tracking system failed and their problems worsened when Edward,
31, became unwell with a depressive illness.
Last night the brothers said they felt lucky to be alive and were
unlikely to repeat their attempt to row from Tenerife to Barbados.
"We were really starting to get worried over the past few days and
I have never been so glad to see the rescue boats," said Matthew,
28. "We lost our power supply on Day 12 and after that things went
drastically wrong. We sent out a distress signal and that failed.
"We waited five days for someone to rescue us but no one came and
so we set off a second emergency beacon. But the beacon broke from its
tether during a storm and there was no way we could retrieve it. We
began to drift further and further away from it."
At first light yesterday, the 33rd day of their voyage, an air-sea
search was launched in response to signals from the distress beacon.
They were spotted shortly before midday by a search plane, about 900
miles south of the Azores. Three hours later, they were rescued. Edward
said: "It really was awful. I started suffering from a kind of
depression which made me ill. It was a mental problem stemming from the
fact that we had no contact with the outside world and were running out
of water.
"We are both disappointed not to finish the race but I am so glad
to be on the rescue boat. I think the most important thing is that we
are both still alive." The brothers will now sail to Barbados on
the rescue vessel, which will take two to three weeks. They will burn
their wooden boat, Spirit of Spelthorne, which they built themselves.
"It will not be nice setting fire to her but that is all we can do
with her now," said Edward. "We do not feel like celebrating
at the moment but I am looking forward to a nice cup of tea when I get
to Barbados."
Matthew added: "During the past few days, we have tried to keep
each other chirpy by listening to the World Service and telling jokes.
"We knew that sooner or later we would be rescued so had no real
worries but we did have some very dark moments. I don't think we'd do it
again in a rowing boat."
Matthew and his wife, Alison, of Sunbury, Surrey, have an
eight-month-old daughter, Georgina. The couple spoke by telephone last
night. Mrs Boreham, 27, said: "It feels absolutely brilliant to
know they're well but also it's touched with sadness that two-and-a-half
years of work to join the race is over.
"It wouldn't be fair to say that Matt shouldn't have attempted the
race because he had to try to fulfil his dream. It's something he's
always wanted to do. The last time I saw him, I waved goodbye from the
harbour wall in Tenerife. I watched the orange light on the back of the
boat until it disappeared over the horizon.
"Our daughter is going to be very proud to have a father who has
done so well. I just can't wait to see him. I just can't wait for us all
to be back together again." The brothers had spent more than two
years training on the Thames for the race.
Their father, Tony, abandoned his work as a warehouse manager in Norwich
when he heard they lost contact last Friday. "I was worried but was
always very optimistic. They were very well prepared and are sensible.
It's a fantastic relief but I can tell you now my sons will be totally
gutted."
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