MATES PLAN TO ROW, ROW, ROW THEIR BOAT ACROSS ATLANTIC
DYLAN Jones and Sam Weir don’t like to do things by halves.
The two mates are not trained rowers, but they are aiming to smash a world record by rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in less than 40 days.
The pair have assembled their own rowing boat to compete in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in December.
Under their team banner Ocean Nomads they will navigate a 4800km journey from the Canary Islands to the finish line in Antigua in the Caribbean.
Dylan – who quit his job as a deckhand to compete in the race – said he hoped what they lacked in skills they’d make up for it in preparation.
“We’re not trained rowers but we devised a plan to take turns and row three hours on and off continuously,” he said.
“The hardest bit is getting ready, we spent so much time building our boat for efficiency, where other competitors will focus on their fitness.
“We’re going to train from now and get familiar with how the boat floats so we can nail it in the Atlantic.”
The pair bought a solo boat for $50,000 and stripped it back to bare hull before rebuilding it with a deck, row seating and a cabin.
Their new pride and joy also boasts solar panels, a GPS and a desalination plant.
Sam, who lives in Currumbin where their prerace training will take place, also hopes to encourage more people to take the plunge.
“We just hope to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and try something different,” he said.
“There’s no prize money so we’re going to crack a beer when we get to the finish line.”