An almighty roar for team Broar
After more than a month at sea, three Scottish brothers have set three world records in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – dubbed the toughest row in the world.
Not only are they the fastest trio to ever have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, beating the previous record by a whopping six days, they are also the first three brothers to row any ocean, and the youngest trio to ever paddle their way across the Atlantic.
To kick-start their fundraising drive, they rowed 300 nautical miles in 2019 up the west coast of Scotland, pillaging from local distilleries. Setting off from Arran, where they visited the Lochranza distillery, and making the long journey to Talisker on Skye, the brothers’ expedition was remarkably fruitful – they collected more than 400 bottles in just 10 days, helping them creep closer to their target.
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan MacLean, sons of acclaimed whisky writer and connoisseur Charles MacLean, set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12 last year, spending Christmas and New Year in the middle of the ocean, and completed the epic 3,000-mile row to Antigua in exactly 35 days, nine hours and nine minutes.
The MacLeans overcame severe seasickness, battery issues, storms, dehydration and utter exhaustion – as well as the typical rowing blisters, aches and pains that come hand in hand with the endurance sport – to reach Antigua.
The sound of Jamie’s pipes heralded their arrival on the horizon, and they made their way on to shore to be welcomed by hoards of friends, family and well-wishers.
They have been supporting two charities – Children 1st, Scotland’s children’s charity, and Feedback Madagascar, which provides people on the African island with access to clean water. Now that they have smashed the World Record, Broar hope to reach their fundraising target of £250,000.