Race Directors Journal

One month into GBRow 2013 and Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr in Savoir Faire, the only team still racing, are again at anchor in the harbour at Arbroath after a frustrating day battling head winds yesterday and then having to retreat back to Arbroath.

In a message to race HQ, Jason McKinlay says: “We are certainly better for trying that yesterday but need to take stock this morning and make the correct decisions.

“There are gales forecast and windows are short and not that sweet. Not sure what we’ve down to deserve this but at the end of the day we are still in it and even though the record looks dubious, we’ll get through this event somehow, sometime…sorry for the hold up.”

Today was a great test for us. We saw a small window of opportunity and decided to try and get across to Fife Ness as winds showed 15-20mph against and we knew we could work with that rowing together. We worked tirelessly from 7 and only made 4+ miles then rested against the tide and went again a few hours later.

The winds increased quickly to on excess of 30mph. We where going nowhere… Anchored again, we decided the best course of action in the potentially ‘tricky’ conditions, was to head back across the waves to Arbroath…  What took us 12.5 hours to get out to, took 2.5 hours to get back in. We are fed and getting warm now and will decide tomorrow, the best approach to take and when.

Sorry for the concern Yellowbrick must have shown. We are fine. Tired but fine. 6 hours on and a few off is pretty hard work..

Jason & Josh

Blog just in from Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr on Savoir Faire at anchor 3.5miles offshore from Carnoustie, north of Dundee – 402miles from the finish at Tower Bridge:

56 29.777N 02 34.884W   We’re both catching up on some rest…We’d like it to be better news. We’re doing our best to keep everything really positive and continue to think that way.

This morning, doubling up on the oars for 4 hours to make three miles gave us hope believe it or not. Against 25+ mph of wind, we’ll take that…

We’re now sitting ducks anchored until 34-pm. What anyone’s charts say, or forecasts, don’t believe them…We’ll try again as soon as we are able…

Savoir Faire, the last boat still racing in GBRow 2013 – the world’s toughest rowing race – is safely at anchor inside Arbroath Harbour, with strong winds forecast for the next two days.

Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr made just 15miles in nine hours today in difficult conditions – so difficult in fact that the local lifeboat paid them a visit off Montrose because they thought the pair, from Salcombe in Devon were in trouble!

Here is a blog Jason and Josh filed from the boat during the day – four weeks exactly since the race began at Tower Bridge in London:

“Pushing on from Montrose towards Edinburgh. We made a little more progress than expected yesterday by doubling up, so we’ll do it again today. Solo for the opening sessions of the morning, then ‘hopefully’ against the tide we’ll be able to stay on the oars together until AT least we reach Fife Ness point.

If we make it that far today we’ll be delighted.  From then on, well who knows really? We’re told Saturday evening, Sunday and Monday could be written off… Onwards.

 Scratch that! Here’s what actually happened…Mammoth day. All amazing. Both on the oars since 3.30am, and just stopped now (12.30) because of strong winds. 15.1miles in nine hours…if you crawled on your hands and knees you’d go further…but it is windy!! Goodnight (afternoon)

 We’ll push on against the wind with two on the oars when we can. We managed eight hours together today and the wind won that battle…”

It is now exactly four weeks since the start of GBRow 2013. Today is also the start of the Tour de France.

There’s no doubt about it, GBRow is the Tour de France of rowing. With one record already smashed in this race, our focus is now on Savoir Faire, the only boat left still racing, four weeks after the race fleet of six boats left Tower Bridge on Satruday June 1.

Josh Tarr and Jason McKinlay, from Salcombe, Devon, could set a new world record for a pair rowing non-stop around the British mainland. The question is how many more days will it take them to reach London?

This morning they are between Montrose and Arbroath, north of Dundee, still going at 2knots after battling headwinds all night.

In their latest dispatch from the boat, Jason and Josh write: “Food for thought…We rowed together from 13.30 after a visit from the local RNLI who thought we might be in trouble…

“We stopped at 20.30 when the tide turned against us. Now it’s time to think about food and hydration, before we double up on the oars again at 1 in the morning to make as much prograess as we can before the serious winds against us hit…

Hopefully, we’ll make it to Arbroath to hide until our next window. We are tired but in great spirit.”