News

 Following five hours at anchor this afternoon in waves the size of double-decker buses, the Islanders began rowing again at tea time.

Tonight the crew in the Black Oyster were at anchor again, seeking shelter in the lee of a bay near Minerstown, south of Belfast.

After a shift last night where real progress was made – often racing at more than five knots – it was disappointing for Josh Taylor and his crew of four to have to sit out the weather for hours on end.

The Islanders posted this photo of Gavin Sheehan on deck, with huge waves and white horses all around.

Their comment was: “Loving the Irish Sea with its double-decker bus-sized waves. So much that we decided to stay a little longer…frustrated doesn’t cover it! Sea anchor out again!”

 More than 100 miles south, Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr in Savoir Faire are making more than two knots in the Irish Sea between Wexford and Aberystwyth.

 See the posting below from Jason, on life in the Irish Sea and looking ahead to a storm brewing on Thursday.

 

 

So it’s been a long day today starting with an early rise to check what time would be best to leave Salcombe…

Lifting the anchor certainly got rid of any cobwebs from the sleep. Josh rowed towards it against a strong headwind and I dangled over to drag the 38 metres of rope and 10 metres of chain.

We turned away and plotted a course straight at The Lizard. Rolling waves and a strong breeze (East, thankfully), saw us make good progress early another day. Turned beautiful and calmed down but not too much that we couldn’t continue our shift pattern of 90 on 90 off…. We’ve been doing that all day and plan to continue, make it into Penzance whenever we can and leave for The Irish Sea on Saturday at Midnight…. The southerly winds should start then and hopefully our luck will continue.

Thanks for your continued support… Sleep time now, I only have another 45 minutes…

Photos sent to us by George Barnes:

RACE UPDATE 09.00 June 07

AFTER yesterday’s drama at sea – rescued by a lifeboat following a total electrics failure – Pure Gym are back in GBRow 2013.

Under the rules, this race for a world record is non-stop and unassisted but Pure Gym have been allowed to continue as a ‘supported’ attempt, which means that although they are still taking part, they can’t share the prize money.

Stuart Chamberlayne, 23, – the strongest rower on Team Hallin, who were forced to quit the race yesterday – has joined the team aboard Pure Gym.

This morning at just 08.00 skipper Claire Shouksmith and her crew bid farewell to the people of Salcombe who came to their rescue yesterday and set off for Land’s End.

They could expect a challenge en route from Josh Tarr and Jason McKinlay in Savoir Faire, the only pair left in the race, who are currently in third place in GBRow 2013.

Jason and Josh anchored just off their home port of Salcombe last night before they, too, set course for Land’s End this morning.

Early next week the wind direction changes to south/south westerly so the two crews still off the southern coast of Cornwall have to reach Land’s End before the shift.

Meanwhile under clear skies and sunshine in the Celtic Sea the battle for the lead remains as hot as ever with The Islanders maintaining a slender lead of 9.5 nautical miles over Oarsome Adventures

Although The Islanders were making slightly better headway, both crews should reach the Irish Sea this afternoon.

It’s going to be quite a race…

The battle for the lead in GBRow 2013 continued relentlessly throughout the night as Oarsome Adventures chased down leader The Islanders in the Celtic Sea.

Oarsome, rowed by a crew of six, including five Celtic longboat racers, is at home in these rough waters off the west coast of Britain.

A couple of hours ago, they cut the Islanders’ lead to just five miles but in the last hour, the Islanders have increased their pace and drew just miles ahead of the chasers.

The Islanders – John Taylor, Alan Morgan, Jason Plumley and Gavin Sheehan – are propelling their 24-feet-long boat, the Black Oyster, along at 2.7 nautical miles an hour.

In Boudica, skipper Mikey Buckley’s crew – Heather Rees-Gaunt, Karl Steans, Ian Kavanagh, Sam Clemmens and 20-year-old Beatrix Parry – were slower at 1.7 knots – nautical miles an hour.

The gap could widen this morning as the race heads into the Bristol Channel. Will the Islanders head towards the Irish coast? Will Oarsome Adventures veer towards their home waters off Wales?

In a couple of hours the race will re-ignite off Devon’s South coast when Pure Gym, who were rescued yesterday after electrics failure re-join the race. Under GBRow 2013 rules they can continue but will not be included in the prizes.

Third placed pair of Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr will leave their anchorage at Salcombe and race Pure Gym towards Land’s End. Keep watching that tracker folks as Day 6 unfolds in the world’s toughest rowing race…

Billed as the world’s toughest rowing race, GBRow 2013 lived up to its reputation when three boats – half of the field – were forced to quit in a spell of just 12 hours today.

At 2am, the Coast Girls – Charlene Ayres and Sally Kettle – were towed by the RNLI to Ramsgate harbour in Kent after both their anchors dragged on the sandly bottom.

There was a danger they could be swept on the breakers just 300 yards away. Charlene, from Cardiff, who suffered from sea sickness for more than three days was treated for dehydration at hospital in Ramsgate. She was released from hospital later this morning. After breakfast she and Sally booked into a local hotel to sleep after their ordeal.

 At 10am Brixham Coastguard scrambled Salcombe RNLI lifeboat crew to go the assistance of Pure Gym’s crew, who were adrift a mile off Start Point in Devon in force six winds. The boat’s electrical system, which controls navigation instruments, communications and the water maker, totally failed. The crew of two men and two women battled for 12 hours to repair the fault but when strong force six easterly winds threatened to blow th boat onto the rocks at Start Point, skipper Claire Shouksmith called for assistance, using the boat’s Sat phone.

Then at 2pm Team Hallin’s skipper, Falklands veteran, former Royal Navy Commander David Hosking, called in help from a motor boat from Penzance after their ocean-going rowing boat Hallin Marine II suffered irreparable damage to the steering system.

Without a rudder, the crew risked drifting into shipping lanes or the rocks beneath the cliffs at Land’s End.

Chris Usborne, Race Director, said: “With three boats retiring today, GBRow has had a very bad day, however everyone is safe and safety is paramount to this race.”

In the race itself, The Islanders remain in front but Oarsome Adventures are chasing them down in the Celtic Sea, off Cornwall.

The Islanders in Black Oyster are 30 miles out to sea from Padstowe, with Oarsome Adventures just 11 miles behind them.