25 Oct
If you are going to row 3,000 miles across an ocean in a small plywood boat, it’s good to have a special source of inspiration. For Peter Raab and Tim Wilks in their boat Martha Dos, it’s the aim of raising money for Orobal , based in Los Cristianos, Tenerife. The self funding charity offers help and a better quality of life to physically and mentally handicapped children.
The Atlantic crossing to Antigua from Puerto Colon, Tenerife leaves on December 8 and by then rowers Peter and Tim will have their bodies and the boat fine tuned for the gruelling voyage ahead. Rowing in shifts, they will do most of the hours together and split the rest so one rows as the other tries to sleep in the small cramped canin at one end of the boat.
They need all the friends they can get and Freebird have become the latest sponsor to get behind them. With their fleet of catamarans also based on the Puerto Colon marina, Freebird are delighted to be able to help their neighbours and give a boost to a local charity and will be organising a series of fund raising events.
The Atlantic is one of natures big tests and many rowing attempts have set off from the Canary Islands. Not many people realise that although nearly 3,000 people have scaled Mount Everest, and 200 died trying, only 174 attempts have been made to row across an ocean, and one in every three has failed.
There will be no negative thoughts from Peter and Tim as they set off , it’s a mental challenge as much as a physical one and they face around two months at sea with minimum food and water rations. As you tuck into Christmas dinner, spare a thought for them pitting themselves against nature. Good luck to Martha Dos and all who sail in her.