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CAPTAIN’S BLOG Oarsome Adventures
June 03 09.00 BLOG from Heather Rees-Gaunt of Oarsome Adventures on Boudica. Oarsome Adventures are back in the race! We told you we wouldn’t give up. After hours of trials and tribulations and some Playschool repairs, our skipper Mikey Buckley got the water maker working at last. The crew had their first cup of coffee this morning, since leaving London on Saturday. Sam Clemmens was the poor man who tasted the water and drank quite a bit of sea water. But now we have lovely fresh water.
The auto helm as also been repaired, using a piece of metal from the flagpole! While the repairs were going on we couldn’t use one of the cabins and it was a bit cramped on deck, while the crew were rowing. We are now back in our routine and we’re hunting down Hallin Marine 2 who are in second place.
Baby dolphins have been swimming around Boudica. It’s a wonderful world today. We’re all thoroughly enjoying being at sea.
RACE UPDATE 08.00 BST June 03
The crew of Oarsome Adventures have had their first cup of coffee since leaving Tower Bridge 48 hours ago! After hours of battling, the watermaker on Boudica has been repaired. Skipper Mikey Buckley also fixed the autohelm, using a piece of the boat’s flagpole.
RACE UPDATE 12.00 JUNE 02
The Islanders, Hallin Marine and Oarsome Adventures are all safely past Dover, with only eight miles separating the first three boats. Leaders, the Islanders, are currently on world record time with a tail wind predicted tomorrow, creating the perfect conditions for rowing along the South Coast.
RACE UPDATE 22.45 June 01
As night fell the Islanders had pulled 7 miles ahead of Oarsome Adventures. However Team Hallin Marine and Oarsome Adventures were almost neck and neck off Herne Bay in Kent, Pure Gym were 4 miles behind in 4th place just over a mile ahead of Savoir Faire.
After anchoring near Gravesend Yacht Club Charlene Ayres and Sally Kettle, the Coast Girls, were near Canvey Island 26 miles behind the leaders.
Have a safe night rowers at the end of a brilliant day!
Update 16.00BST June 01
After eight hours the six crews racing in GBRow 2013 were still in the River Thames after starting at Tower Bridge in the heart of London at 8.16 this morning.
The Islanders, a team of four young men, led by adventurer Josh Taylor from Essex, were in the lead off Southend – one mile ahead of Oarsome Adventures, a team of four men and two women from west Wales.
Retired Royal Navy Commander David Hosking’s team, Hallin Marine, were in third place but catching up fast – less than a third of a mile behind Oarsome Adventures.
Savoir Faire – Jason McKinley and Josh Tarr – were ahead of Pure Gym, a team of four skippered by Claire Shouksmith.
Trailing 12 miles behind the leaders after eight hours were the Coast Girls, Sally Kettle and Charlene Ayres in their distinctive red ocean going boat.
For the next four hours the tide in the Thames Estuary will be against the competitors.
Chris Usborne, Race Director of GBRow 2013, said: “The rowers will have to endure the world’s busiest shipping lanes, treacherous tides, live military firing ranges and storms before they return to London.
“The weather for the first days of the race is perfect for setting a world record pace.”