Today the 4th December 2011, teams from around the world will embark of the world's toughest rowing race - Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Departing from Spain's San Sebastian marina on la Gomera in the Canary Islands, the 17 crews will follow the 'Columbus Route' westbound across the Atlantic to the marina of Port St Charles in Barbados. As a guide the teams are expected to take about 40-50 days and so it will be Christmas and New Year afloat.
World Marine Guide has been following the preperations of the RowforFreedom team which is the first all female crew of six to row across the Atlantic and are aiming to break the world record for the fastest ever female trans-Atlantic row. They are raising money for ECPAT, a charity campaigning to end child prostitution and slavery.
The team members are Andrea Quigley, Debbie Beadle, Helen Leigh, Katie Pattison-Hart, Kate Richardson, and Julia Immonen, read more on the team.
The weather is looking promising for the start of the challenge this Sunday. Helen said ‘It looks like it will be perfect conditions for Sunday. Next week there will be a couple of days where we will experience winds of 25 knots, but that should set us up perfectly for the rest of the row."
The first Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Rowing Race was held in 1997, and thereafter every two years from 2001. It attracted huge publicity in 2005 when Ben Fogle and James Cracknell famously competed, and established ocean rowing as one of the world's toughest marine challenges.
World Marine Guide will be following the progress of the girls attempt and updating their position in this blog and Talisker will be tracking all the boats.
See previous Row For Freedom blogs
A guide to some of the other teams attempting this marine challenge.........
Row2Recovery is a team of six ex-servicemen, four of whom have serious injuries of war, http://www.row2recovery.com
Tiger Team is a husband and wife team, raising money for St Mungo's and the Huntingdon's Disease Association
Atlantic Dash, Jamie Windsor and John Haskell, two firefighters from Wales, are raising money for the Fire Fighters Charity in a fire truck themed boat. http://www.atlanticdash.co.uk
Sons of Norway, a Norwegian duo, Emil Eide Eriksen and Trond Bratland Erichsen, are raising money for the national organisation for heart and lung disease, Landsforeningen for Hjerte-og Lungesyke. http://www.sonneravnorge.no
Team Amigo is a Canadian pair. Ole Elmer is 63 years old and this is his second Atlantic Row with the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. This year, he is rowing with his son, Michael. http://www.atlanticcampaigns.com
Andrew's Atlantic Challenge is Andrew Brown, is a solo rower raising money for Help a London Child: "I've sailed across the Atlantic before and the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to challenge myself further." http://www.andrew.rowtheatlantic.com/
http://www.worldmarineguide.com/
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