Scilly Isles

Thursday November 2, 2006 By Clive MUMFORD

The Atlantic rowing quartet, from left: Chris Jenkins, Tim Garratt, Joel Bond and Nathan Woodcock.

Planning to row home - across the North Atlantic

RECENT summers have seen islanders of Scilly and their visitors giving a firework, camera-flashing welcome to transatlantic rowers as they wobble on unsteady legs up St Mary's quay steps after heaven knows how many days battling the inhospitable North Atlantic.

In a couple of years time they could be welcoming their very own as four Isles of Scilly men - all St Mary's islanders - have entered the 2008 transatlantic rowing race from New York to the Bishop Rock Lighthouse.

Moreover Scilly not mainland Cornwall, is to be the terminus of the Atlantic run.

Joel Bond (aged 23), Tim Garratt (24), Chris Jenkins (42) and Nathan Woodcock (23) are to compete in the 2,900- nautical mile North Atlantic Rowing Race which is the race sequel to the 2006 Shepherd Ocean Fours event.

it will start from New York's Statue of Liberty in the June and it is particularly apposite that Scilly should be represented as, for the first time, the end of the transatlantic race is officially the islands, not mainland Cornwall.
It recalls the scarcely believable feat of Norwegian Americans George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen who pulled the Fox into St Mary's harbour on August 1, 1896, after leaving New York 55 days earlier with none of today's sophisticated aids. It remains the rowing record for this North Atlantic distance.
The 'Shepherd' was this summer won by four Seattle students in James Robert Hanssen. They became the first team ever to row from mainland USA to mainland England unaided. They passed Scilly 20 miles south, en route to Falmouth

Three of the four rowers are born Scillonians from a background of generations of seafaring experience, while fourth - Tim - had grandparents who lived for many years on St Mary's.
Joel is a fisherman, Tim has a degree in sports and exercise science, Chris a marine engineer and Nathan is the St Mary's lifeboat mechanic. The last two are lifeboatmen with the St.Mary's boat.
The four represent a valuable combination of seamanship, navigation and pilot gig-rowing experience.

Official RNLI go-ahead is still needed by mechanic Nathan. ''My involvement hinges on the good offices of the RNLI and my cover on the St Mary's boat”, he said.
The quartet recently submitted their entry fee of 150GBP per head to the organizers of the race and are hoping to use a specially designed rowing boat used by a previous RNLI crew who pulled from the Canaries to Antigua in a transatlantic race - and won.

Project contact at the Scilly end of the run will be Jim "Ginger Jim'' Lyddon of St Mary's. Over the years he has done the vital liaison work with a number of Atlantic attempts.

In the past boats may have carried on straight to the Cornish mainland without visiting Scilly.

Mr Lyddon's not inconsiderable feat is not only to have persuaded the organizers of the race to still regard the Bishop Rock Lighthouse as the ''Blue Riband'' finish but also to see St Mary's harbour as the row's natural end. It is a development which the islands' tourist board and the chamber of commerce, will surely find very acceptable.

So there are two records up for grabs in this race, one to the Bishop line, the other - the land-to-land price - to St Mary's. To enter the record books the rowers must complete the challenge unaided without accepting any food, water or drinks.

It is widely accepted as one of the world's toughest rowing races requiring extreme physical and mental endurance. There is already a good omen.
By being the very first quartet to sign up for the race they signalled their serious intent. They hope this primacy continues to the end.