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She's on her way! Queensgate, the 23-foot boat that Philip Langman,
Yorkie Lomas, Shaun Barker and Jason Hart intend to row 2,900 miles
across the Atlantic from La Gomera in the Canaries to Barbados, has been
crated up and left Dartmouth on a trailer bound for La Gomera.
The boat will be shipped out on December 11 and is expected to arrive
some eleven days later.
The crew not only want to set a new cross-Atlantic record for a four but
also to beat the recently-set record of 40 days 5 hours 31 minutes.
They fly out to La Gomera on January 9 to make final preparations for
the start of the John Fairfax Regatta, a race of 14 entries staged by
the Ocean Rowing Society.
Without their boat, the crew will, in the meantime, continue with land
training, get together final supplies and equipment and seek out
additional sponsors.
They are still desperate for sponsorship and need to raise another
£12,000.
They have space for sale on the boat and anyone interested should
contact Jason Hart on 01803 834065.
The first crews in the 2,900 mile Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race from La
Gomera in the Canaries may have arrived in Barbados but the controversy
is just beginning.
And for a locally-supported crew there has been tremendous
disappointment.
The first crew to cross the finish line were the Kiwis Jamie Fitzgerald
and Kevin Biggar aboard Team Holiday Shoppe in a record time of 40 days
5 hours 31 minutes.
They had been managed by Rob Hamill who had set the previous record with
Phil Stubbs in the 1997 race.
However, the second crew home, New Zealanders Matt Goodman and Steve
Westlake, aboard Team CRC, who won the 2001 race, have lodged a protest.
Lawyer Michael Smyth, acting for Team CRC, says that evidence submitted
to the organisers of the transatlantic rowing race raises plenty of
suspicion over Team Holiday Shoppe's victory.
It is understood the protest is in relation to Team Holiday Shoppe's
dramatic speed increase in the latter stages of the race.
The eventual winners trailed Team CRC by 50 nautical miles for most of
the race but with less than two weeks to the finish they passed Team CRC
and powered out to a 30-mile lead.
Although the boats were scrutinised before and after the race,
allegations of the use of a sail or throwing heavy equipment overboard
have been bandied about.
It has also been alleged that it would be possible to ditch water
ballast and then add it again before the finish.
Officials received the evidence on December 3 and the protest hearing
was due to be held on December 5 but has now been held over until
January.
Smyth said of the evidence: "It was a summary of our arguments plus
evidence we have been relying on. There were a couple of witness
statements that went with that. We are satisfied that there is enough
evidence to warrant putting a protest in.
"If it was just circumstantial then we wouldn't have lodged the protest,
but there is enough suspicion to warrant it"
Rob Hamill, for Team Holiday Shoppe, who had received a copy of the
evidence, described the protest as "ridiculous".
He added: "I have spoken to Kevin and Jamie and I have had assurance
from them that they did everything 100 per cent to the rules."
And crew member Jamie Fitzgerald said: "It is very disappointing that it
has come to this. We have not broken any rules in this race. It has
certainly taken the gloss off a victory that we worked so hard to
achieve."
There was disappointment for Jason McKinlay and Phil Carrington of
Cheshire aboard Pura Vida, the pair spent April and May undergoing sea
trials at Salcombe.
Down to their last two packets of soap, half a packet of dry crackers
and no water, the water maker having given up, they had to accept
outside assistance just 300 nautical miles from the finish and in fourth
place.
Replenished they will continue to the finish but are out of the race.
Teignmouth's Matt Stowers, aboard the RAF boat Per Ardue with Mark
Jacklin, is still down in 14th place but has just over 1,000 miles to
go.
Enjoying better weather, Mark said "We have reduced our food for now, we
don't anticipate being out here a huge amount of time, but for now we'll
conserve supplies just in case the weather turns again.
"We have saved a freeze-dried turkey meal for Christmas Day of course."
He added: "We are both feeling much better and morale has picked up."
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