Bid to become oldest duo to cross Atlantic
Marlow: Pair, aged 55 and 68, aiming to row 3,000 miles
Two men from Marlow are setting out to be the oldest duo ever to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
Guy Rigby, 68, and David Murray, 55, will be rowing the 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, starting on December 12.
This is part of the annual Talisker Whisky Atlantic Rowing Challenge, which tends to see 30 rowing teams compete, from soloists to groups of five.
Though technically a race, Guy and David have a different agenda – to be the oldest ever pair to make the trip, and raise money for charity along the way.
Since David will have turned 56 by the time they set out, the pair’s combined age will be 124
years – a year older than the record set in 2019 by two former paratroopers.
David and Guy expect that the journey will take about 60 days overall, with each man rowing for 12 hours a day, arriving in Antigua sometime in February.
“It’s harder the fewer people you have – everyone has more responsibility and it takes longer,” said Guy.
“There’s only one winner, and it won’t be us. We have decided what we need to do is get there safely, and not be overtaken by the man in the pink elephant suit.”
To make the challenge even more ambitious, though Guy has been rowing for much of his life, David only started rowing last year.
“So no, we are not very experienced,” Guy said.
Guy came up with the idea to take the plunge when he turned 65 and began to rethink his life direction.
“I thought, I can’t carry on doing what I’ve been doing with my life,” he said.
“I need something some kind of new purpose.”
He was partly inspired by David’s late father, a friend who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2017.
“He was a fisherman and I remember I was always
slightly jealous,” said Guy.
“I have been really officebound all my life, I wanted to do something real – and give something back, too.”
Guy is passionate about helping entrepreneurs, as though his work, he has seen how important they are for creating jobs and wealth.
The rowers will therefore be raising money for UnLtd Foundation, which promotes
social mobility for entrepreneurs.
They have already raised thousands of pounds in advance. On Wednesday and Thursday, Guy and David met with their supporters at the Compleat Angler in Bisham alongside their trusty boat, The Entrepreneur Ship.
View the fundraiser at crowdfunder.co.uk/ the-entrepreneur-ship