Grandfathers rise to challenge for charity row
ATLANTIC CROSSING: WORLD’S TOUGHEST RACE BEGINS
A PAIR of grandfathers, a teenage solo adventurer and the heir to the Blenheim Palace estate are among the competitors tackling a Transatlantic endurance race dubbed the world’s toughest row.
The 28 teams, comprising 88 athletes from a dozen countries, hope to raise millions of pounds for their chosen charities during the 3,000-mile slog Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which began yesterday.
The journey from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to English Harbour in Antigua can take up to three months, meaning competitors will swap Christmas dinners for a military-style ration pack or boil-in-the-bag meal.
Crews will battle sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue and the perils of living in confined spaces, as well as whatever Mother Nature can throw at them, as they bid to cross safely from Europe to the Americas with little other than the sea and sky as far as the eye can see.
Among those taking part is aristocrat George SpencerChurchill, whose great-greatuncle was former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
The 26-year-old, known as the Marquis of Blandford, said the row would represent a departure from daily life for him and his three teammates raising money for children’s charity Starlight.
He said: “I’m a helicopter pilot which was a long-drawn process (to qualify), that was tough but nothing compared to this.”
Yorkshire male foursome Row for Victory said they were aiming to land in Antigua ahead of the pack on their way to raising thousands of pounds for their designated military charities.
Meanwhile, all-female British
trio Status Row will be looking to raise awareness of sea pollution as well as funds for the Marine Conservation Society.
Sandhurst Military College graduates Peter Ketley and Neil Young, aged 62 and 61 from Hampshire and Berkshire respectively, said being the oldest competitors in the fleet would not hold them back.
Mr Ketley said: “We have got the mental capacity to do this.”
At the other end of the scale, Lukas Haitzmann will be looking to become the youngest solo adventurer to row the Atlantic, despite his parents still having reservations about it.
The 18-year-old from Windsor said: “My dad was understandably not very happy when I told him what I was doing. He’s going to be proud in the end but he’s worried.”