|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
Rowers undaunted after mid-ocean rescue |
|
09 July 2002 |
| Rowers undaunted
after mid-ocean rescue FOUR Britons who attempted to break a world record for crossing the Atlantic were back on dry land in Aberdeen last night after failing the challenge. The Skandia Atlantic Spirit crew had hoped to break one record and create another by being the first team to row across the ocean to the’ UK in less than 55 days. But when the team arrived in Scotland yesterday, it was not as planned in their hi-tech rowing boat, but on board the diving support vessel which rescued them when they broke down 1,000 miles from land. Ocean Row crewmen Mark Stubbs, George Rock, Nigel Morris and Rob Munslow said they were “devastated” at their failure to complete the 2,100-mile crossing. On their arrival in Aberdeen, the crew told how strong storms and 50ft-high waves left their boat damaged and ruined their chances of breaking the record of 55 days, set by. Tom McClean. “We are devastated, so much hard work went into it,” said Mr Morris. “It was not the ending we had envisaged. But it’s a good ending in that everybody is safe and well and the boat was recovered:’ “We got caught in some storms, one of them had 50ft waves and 50 knot winds,” said Mr Rock. “The rudder got ripped off by the waves, the pressure was just too much. “We were 21 days into our journey, we’d gone more than halfway. We had 1,000 miles to do and we were quite confident we could do that in less than 20 days the record was 55 days and we were on to do it in less than 40." The men, from England and Wales, embarked on their attempt to cross the North Atlantic on June 11. They had aimed to row from Newfoundland in Canada to the Isles of Scilly in 32 days, faster than any team on the same route. By continuing to Falmouth in Cornwall, they would have become the first ocean rowing boat in history to complete the Atlantic crossing west to east, making landfall in the UK. But on July 2 they were forced to abandon the attempt when a 3in stainless steel pin, - which was used to secure the boat’s rudder, broke. Diving support vessel Bar Protector went to the aid of the stranded rowers and was able to recover them - and their precious boat and landed the unusual cargo in Aberdeen harbour yesterday. “We were in the most remote part of the Atlantic Ocean, over 1,000 miles from any part of land, we started praying and along came the Bar Protector our saviour,” said Mr Stubbs, 38, from Poole, Dorset. “There was another boat that was closer to us but she would not have been able to take our boat." The vessel had been returning from the Gulf of Mexico to Aberdeen to start work in the North Sea. Captain of the Bar Protector, Crawford Renton, said: “My first thought was ‘Oh for goodness sake who are these idiots?’ We weren’t sure what we were going to come across when we got there. But when we saw them we realised how well prepared they had been." The Skandia Atlantic Spirit is built from carbon fibre the same material as Formula 1 racing cars’ and allowed the team to hit speeds of up to 11 knots an hour. The boat weighs a mere 220kg, and everything necessary for the crossing was kept on board within the 10-metre by two-metre frame. The youngest member of the team at just 24, Mr Munslow had never been to sea before. But yesterday he said this had not put him off. “It’s frustrating coming back having only rowed half an ocean that’s not what we set out to do,” said Mr Munslow, of Monmouth, Gwent. “I’d never been to sea before this. Tom McClean captured my imagination over eight years ago when I first read of his Atlantic crossing. Since then I have been determined to emulate such a feat. I got in contact with Mark and it went from there:’ It will be June next year at the earliest before the hardy team will be able to set off on their second attempt at the record. But they are optimistic that, with the experience of this year’s attempt, next year will be plain sailing. “Regardless of what has happened the whole experience has been fantastic,” said Mr Morris. “We don’t see ourselves as failures. We gave it our all and we’ve enjoyed every moment of this epic journey. Nothing is unachievable and everything is in place for us to have a crack at it again." |
|
|
© 1983-2001
Ocean Rowing Society
Design
by REDTED
