The Western Sun. April 2001

RESCUE MIX/UP CAST DOUBTS ON BOAT RACE

Rowing ban threat to Chay Blyth's October challenge
Penniless rower dumped at airport
THE dramatic enforced rescue of Russian rower Vyatcheslav Kavtchenko off the island of La Gomera two weeks ago has thrown the whole future of ocean rowing from Tenerife into doubt. It could have disastrous effects on planning for next October's Ward Evans Challenge race for 37 boats from Los Gigantes to Barbados. And it could mean the demise of Tenerife - and Los Gigantes in particular - as the main base for Atlantic crossings by rowing boat.
Don Lorenzo Fernandez Lopez the director of merchant shipping for the province of Tenerife has slapped a total ban on all attempts to row the Atlantic from any harbour on the islands. His order followed the mix-up at sea when 58-year-old Dr Kavtchenko transmitted a call for assistance one week after leaving Los Gigantes on his solo row to Barbados. His friends and supporters immediately swung into action, sending a private yacht from the port of San Sebastian on La Gomera to meet him some six miles offshore. But his call for assistance was also notified to the Tenerife coastguard organization Salvamente Maritimo, which sent a ship and a helicopter to search for him, believing he was in distress. Ignoring his protests that he did not need or want to be rescued, the helicopter crew winched him off his 27ft rowing boat and flew him to Reina Sofia airport where he was left penniless, in just the rowing gear he had been wearing, and unable to speak anything but his native Russian. Meanwhile, his boat was towed to harbour at Playa Santiago, under threat of being impounded. He was also told he faced a three million pesetas fine for embarking on his 3,000-mile journey without official permission and in an unseaworthy boat. It was soon after that that Capt. Lorenzo issued his order closing off all Tenerife ports to Barbados-bound rowers. His order posed an immediate threat to the Ward Evans Atlantic 2001 Challenge race, organized by British adventurer Chay Blyth, scheduled to leave from Los Gigantes in October. It was set up as the sequel to the hugely successful Atlantic Challenge race, organized by Sir Chay in 1997, when 27 boats, each with two rowers, set off on the long haul to Barbados. The event set ocean rowing circles, previously a little-known sport, alight, and established Los Gigantes as the premier departure point for such attempts.
Teresa Evans, of Sir Chay's Challenge Business, which organized this year's race under sponsorship of the Ward Evans business insurance conglomerate, was galvanized by the information. "We are naturally concerned to hear of a possible ban," she said, "but so far we have heard nothing officially. "We are writing to Don Lorenzo immediately to make him aware that the race organized by the Challenge Business is totally separate from individual rows. "It would be a great shame to have to take this event away from Los Gigantes. We have 37 boats from 12 countries, virtually all built and ready to go."

We'll go through hoops to get Slava rowing again'

Meanwhile, in London, the Ocean Rowing Society, which has been helping Kavtchenko in his bid to become the first Russian to row the Atlantic solo, was bending every effort to get their man away from the islands after his disastrous start. "We will go through all sorts of hoops to make sure Slava gets properly started on his journey," said Kenneth Crutchlow, director of the society which records and encourages all ocean rowing attempts worldwide. "He has been working for years to achieve this dream and it was shattered by the unwanted and unwarranted rescue off La Gomera." Mr. Crutchlow denied that Kavtchenko had put to sea in an unseaworthy boat. The 27ft boat Hospiscare had previously been used by rowers Neil Hitt and Peter Hogden in the 1997 race to Barbados, arriving in 7th place after 58 days of rowing. It had all the same safety equipment. The only thing Kavtchenko lacked was voice communication by radio or satellite phone to his supporters. That was why his request for assistance when he discovered a leaking hatch was put out over the private Argos system. "It was not an emergency and Slava had sensibly rowed towards La Gomera to make it easier for helpers to reach him. "Doug Carroll of La Gomera Yacht Services was on his way to Slava with tools to fix the hatch when the maritime emergency services arrived and insisted on rescuing him against his will." Kavtchenko, who speaks no English or Spanish, was allowed time only to grab his passport and English phrasebook before being winched aboard the helicopter. He was flown to Reina Sofia tourist airport and handed over to the care of the Guardia Civil there, who arranged for a friend from Los Gigantes to pick him up. Since then Kavtchenko has been put up by Steve Horne and Gail Wadsworth, owners of the Harbour Lites restaurant on the marina at Los Gigantes. As well as feeding him, they have bought him glasses to replace those left behind on his boat so that he can use his phrasebook for such limited conversation as he can manage. "We are only too glad to be able to help Slava while he waits to see if he can continue his row," said Steve. "He is a gallant adventurer who battled for years with hardly any support to make this attempt and it doesn't seem right that he should be frustrated just when it looked as though he was on his way."