Atlantic Rowing Race
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The Atlantic Rowing Race is a challenging ocean rowing race from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 2,550 nm (2,930 statute miles or 4,700 km). The race was founded by Sir Chay Blyth and early races were run by Challenge Business Ltd. In October 2003 the race was bought by Woodvale Events Ltd who now run it in addition to rowing races in other oceans.
The race was first held in 1997, and roughly every two years since. A total of 153 individuals have completed the voyage, with the last of the rowers from the 2005 race making landfall in Antigua on 13 March 2006.
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[edit] 1997 race
The Port St Charles Barbados Atlantic Rowing Race
- Winning team: Kiwi Challenge (NZ), rowed by Rob Hamill and Phil Stubbs.
The first ever ocean rowing race saw 30 teams of two depart from Tenerife on 12 October 1997 to race over 3000nm to Barbados. 4 boats withdrew in the first 36 hours, with 6 boats withdrawing in total and 2 boats finishing with single competitors aboard. Prior to this race there had been fewer than 30 successful ocean rows.
[edit] 2001 race
Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Race
- Winning Team: Telecom Challenge 1 (NZ), rowed by Steve Westlake and Matt Goodman.
The second ocean rowing race saw 36 teams of two from twelve different countries depart from Tenerife on 7 October 2001 to race over 3000nm to Barbados. 33 boats made it successfully to the finish with Debrah Veal famously finishing alone after her husband left the boat of 20 October 2001.
[edit] 2003 race
- Winning Team: Holiday Shoppe Challenge (NZ), rowed by James Fitzgerald and Kevin Biggar.
The third ocean rowing race was organised by Challenge Business and sponsored by Woodvale Events Ltd, who then went on to buy the race. 16 teams of two departed from La Gomera on 19 October 2003 to race to Barbados.
[edit] 2003 Ocean Rowing Society Regatta
Ocean Rowing Society Atlantic Rowing Regatta
- Winning Fours Team: Queensgate (GB), rowed by Jason Hart, Phil Langman, Yorkie Lomas and Shaun Barker.
- Winning Pairs Team: Carpe Diem (GB), rowed by Christopher Morgan and Michael Perrins.
The 2004 regatta was organised by the Ocean Rowing Society, and is viewed as being a separate event to the regular Challenge/Woodvale ocean rowing races. Departing from La Gomera on 20 January 2004 to race to Antigua, the regatta included 6 pairs, 6 singles and a four. All boats except one single completed the row.
[edit] 2005 race
- Winning Fours Team: All Relative (GB), rowed by Justin Adkin, Robert Adkin, Martin Adkin and James Green.
- Winning Pairs Team: C2 (GB), rowed by Clint Evans and Chris Andrews.
The most recent race saw 20 doubles, 4 fours and 2 pairs depart La Gomera on 30 November 2005 to race to Antigua. The start was originally scheduled for 27 November, but interference from Tropical Storm Delta and accompanying bad weather delayed the start. Unprecedented bad weather led to 6 boats retiring from the race. As the most recent event, the 2005 Atlantic Rowing Race is covered in more detail below than previous races:
[edit] Bad weather
Just as the majority of the crews had completed between a quarter and a third of the race, there was a prolonged spell of time where the conditions were not favourable for rowing. Rather than the typical trade winds that would have been helping the fleet, there were often strong westerly winds, some of which were associated with Hurricane Epsilon, forcing many of the crews to stop rowing completely and put up a sea anchor to prevent drifting.
In early January, much of the fleet ended up passing through the southern edge of Tropical Storm Zeta, which raised high seas and created adverse wind conditions. The tropical storm formed unusually late in the hurricane season.
The bad weather all but prevented most crews from any attempt at a world record for the crossing.
The late-November start date was chosen because, in a normal year, the hurricane season is all but finished for the year, but 2005's season lasted for an unusually long time.
[edit] Results
Line Honors:
The crew All Relative, a four-man boat with participants from Beer, Devon, had a fast start, and were able to get clear of much of the bad weather that has dogged other crews. As a consequence, they had stretched their lead to several hundred nautical miles before other crews were able to start moving again. All Relative crossed the finish line in Antigua at 15:37:47 GMT on 8 January 2006, a crossing time of 39 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 47 seconds, falling 3 days outside the World Record for the crossing, but breaking the race record by just over 22 hours. The crew also included the youngest ever person to complete the row across the Atlantic, who was 19 when the race began, and turned 20 on 7 January 2006.
In second place, came the four-man boat Atlantic-4 crewed by David Martin, Neil Wightwick, Glynn Coupland and Dr George Simpson, who crossed the finish line at 02:26 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes.
The third boat to cross the finish line was Spirit of EDF Energy, but was placed second in the pairs division due to a time penalty. The crew was made up of double Olympic champion oarsman James Cracknell OBE, and Ben Fogle, a UK TV presenter, who first made fame on the reality TV show Castaway 2000. They crossed the finish at 07:13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes. A BBC television programme on their experience, Through Hell and High Water, was aired in February 2006.
The fourth boat to cross the finish line, and winners of the pairs division, was C2 who crossed the line at 14:15 GMT on 20 January 2006, a crossing time of 51 days, 2 hours, 10 minutes.
In fifth place overall, and third in the pairs division, was the crew Boat de Vie. They were the first non-United Kingdom residents to finish the race, both crewmembers being resident in France. Both rowers were also leg-amputees, and competed on equal terms with everyone else. They crossed the finish line at 15:36 GMT on 23 January 2006, a time of 54 days, 3 hours, 31 minutes.
In sixth place overall, and fourth in the pairs division, was the crew Atlantic Prince, both rowers former captains of 1st & 3rd Trinity BC, who broke the two-man 1,000,000 meter World Record on the rowing machine by about 4.5 hours a couple of weeks prior to the race. They finished at 00:21 GMT on 28 January 2006, a time of 58 days, 12 hours, 16 minutes. Their boat Has the distinction that this was its fourth successful atlantic crossing.
In seventh place overall, and fifth in the pairs division, was the crew Team Scandines. They were the 2nd crew of non-UK residents to finish, with both crew members from Denmark. They crossed the finish line at 21:11 GMT on 28 January 2006 - a time of 59 days, 19 hours, 6 minutes.
The first solo to cross the finish line was Chris Martin in the boat Pacific Pete. Chris rowed for Great Britain in six consecutive World Championships - at junior, under 23, and senior levels. He crossed the finish at 03:24 GMT on 7 February 2006 - a crossing time of 68 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes.
Adjusted Final Positions:
The final positions were adjusted from the Line Honors due to the ballast rule, which prohibit the use of emergency drinking water. Due to the bad weather, many boats were forced to use this supply.
- Solos:
- Both disqualified (Roz Savage for missing the finish buoy, Chris Martin for being assisted)
- Pairs:
- 1st C2
- 2nd Spirit of EDF Energy
- 3rd Bout de Vie
- Fours:
- 1st Mission Atlantic
- 2nd Atlantic4
- 3rd All Relative
[edit] Retiring crews
Six crews retired from the race:
- Digicel Atlantic Challenge (double) - retired 8 January 2006 due to boat capsize and subsequent unrepairable damage.
- American Fire (double) - retired 15 January 2006 due to boat capsize.
- Sun Latte (double) - retired 15 January 2006 due to unrepairable damage sustained during a shark attack a few days earlier.
- Moveahead (double) - retired 19 January 2006 due to boat capsize.
- Spirit of Cornwall (double) - retired 23 January 2006, due to boat capsize with less than 200 miles left in the race. They were in 6th position overall before the capsize.
- Serenity Now (double) - retired 24 January 2006 due to boat capsize.
[edit] Records
The Record for the crossing (from La Gomera to Barbedos), set by a four of Phil Langman, Shaun Barker, Jason Hart and Yorkie Lomas in 2004, is 36 days, 59 minutes breaking the previous record, set by the New Zealand pair, Kevin Biggar and James Fitzgerald during the 2003 race, by just over 22 hours.
The Record for the crossing (from La Gomera to Antigua) was set by All Relative on 8 January 2006, who completed the course in 39 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes, 47 seocnds.
