‘Dirty Vegan’ Matt completes epic rowing trip
HE’S called “The Dirty Vegan”, but now TV celebrity chef Matt Pritchard has another claim to fame – rowing the Atlantic Ocean.
The 48-year-old from Cardiff reached Antigua in the Caribbean after 50 days, five hours and 23 minutes at sea.
Matt and his team-mates – Billy Taylor, Martin Heseltine and Johnny Ward – rowed around the clock for a total of 1,205 hours for charity.
After they completed the journey, Matt posted on his Instagram account: “I’m thirsty, hungry, tired and adopted bingo wings on my arms and calf’s [sic].
“Walking on land is very weird, it doesn’t move. I’ll be a cheap date tonight, one whiff of champagne and I’ll be on my back, mun.”
The four intrepid rowers are aiming to raise £20,000 to be split between Dean Farm Trust in Chepstow and men’s mental health charity Humen.
Initially setting off on the 3,200-mile trip from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on March 6, they were forced to restart from Fuerteventura a week later.
They were allowed to undertake the voyage as Covid-19 rules allow for charity events.
The voyage was not without incident as the “Atlantic Dash” suffered early seat problems and was then holed during a tow to Fuerteventura.
Matt, who rose to fame as a professional skateboarder and member of the MTV hit team Dirty Sanchez, suffered personal agonies.
He pulled his right lateral muscle whole rowing and the pain forced him to give up rowing duties for a time.
For a time, Matt, who celebrated his birthday mid-Atlantic, was forced to confine his team duties to cooking, something TV viewers will know he understands
well.
One of the team’s charities, Dean Farm Trust, is close to Matt’s heart.
He has been the proud patron of the animal sanctuary in Shirenewton, Chepstow, since February 2020. The sanctuary provides a home for life to 190 rescued animals, all saved from slaughter, abuse, neglect and abandonment.
The team set out under the banner of MonkeyFist Adventure and they were all proud of the fact they were rowing on an entirely meat-free boat.
A spokesman said: “The MonkeyFist Adventures team showed thousands of followers around the world the power of plants and how you don’t need meat to perform incredible athletic feats.”
Dean Farm Trust founder Mary Frankland said: “We are so proud and thankful to Matt, Billy, Martin and Johnny for all of their hard work to raise much-needed funds and awareness for our little sanctuary. Our residents can’t wait to see the boys on their return to the UK and thank them for their amazing support.”