Brothers heading for the finish line
Duo hope to complete their Atlantic row next week
Dunblane brothers Kris and Blair Elliot are expecting to complete their daring 3000mile Atlantic row next week.
The adventurous duo have been hard at work at sea since setting off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands when the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge got underway on December 12.
And with less than 500-miles to go they are hoping to arrive at their final destination, in Antigua, next Tuesday where they will be reunited with their families.
In their latest weekly update, which they provide to their father Paul using a satellite phone, they confirmed that they were experiencing good weather and fair winds.
They added that their latest week has been quite wildlife-themed, saying: “We have seen Minke whales, but they disappear before we can film them, and dolphins which appear to be following us. Never realised they could swim that slow. Really nice to see though.
“We have seen turtles and following us are two different types of bird – including a white-tailed tropicbird or Boatswain bird as it makes a call similar to a sailors whistle, quite eerie actually. We also have a storm tern following. Obviously it knew that the weather is turning next week. Always nice to get a heads-up.”
The pair turned for Antigua on Saturday – the point at which they knew they had 500-miles remaining.
The brothers are racing for Team Noble which is named after former Alloa Fire Service watch manager John Noble who died in 2008 when the appliance he was driving hit a tree on the A91 between Dollar and Tillicoultry.
Mr Noble was a colleague of their father Paul, and the duo are taking part in the race in his memory, while raising money for the Firefighters’ Charity. Kris (30), a Stirling firefighter, and Blair (28), an off-shore engineer, are following in the wake of Dunblane woman Elaine Hopely who completed last year’s race in 58 days to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland.
The Firefighters’ Charity supports serving and retired firefighters and their families. And the brothers hope to raise £100,000 for the good cause through their Atlantic challenge.
To donate go to team-noble.org.
We have seen Minke whales but they disappear before we can film them