Coastal Odyssey
The Coastal Odyssey team reached the Northern Irish coastline on Monday evening, July 1st. Despite strong north-westerly winds, they made steady progress along the coast, passing the stunning Mourne Mountains and the rugged County Down coastline. They continued past Strangford Lough and Belfast. With their weather window closing, it was critical for the team to reach an anchorage at Glenarm Bay, which would provide shelter from the expected 45-knot north-westerly winds starting Wednesday morning. These conditions anchored the team for 36 hours.
Early Friday morning, as the winds began to drop, Coastal Odyssey resumed their journey northward along the coastline, passing the small town of Cushendun. This was the last town they would see before navigating the challenging North Channel into the Sound of Jura. With the north-westerly winds still gusting strongly at times, the team set a course for Rathlin Island, catching the tide to help propel them across the North Channel into the Sound of Jura. Flanked by the rugged Mull of Kintyre Peninsula to the south and Islay Island to the north, Coastal Odyssey quickly progressed through this technically challenging section.
With improved weather, decreased winds, and some sunshine, the Western Isles provided the team with beautiful scenery and calmer waters. Despite the calmer conditions, the Strait of Corryvreckan, known for its powerful whirlpool between the islands of Jura and Scarba, required the team to remain steady. After leaving Jura behind, Coastal Odyssey moved into the Sound of Insh, anchoring in the eastern anchorage at Insh Island on Saturday evening to wait for the tide to change.
They’ve navigated through the Firth of Lorn into the Sound of Mull, passing the small, isolated town of Tobermory, and into the Passage of Tiree before heading into the Sound of Sleat. They’re now on their way to Skye Bridge, which they should reach this afternoon.
Sea Change
Team Sea Change needed an appropriate weather window of at least 36 hours to allow them to cross the Bristol Channel, but the persistent unseasonable north-westerly winds in the southwest of the country have kept them trapped in Padstow for the last 14 days.
With a possible weather window emerging on Sunday/Monday, the team headed to Port Quin, a suitable chartered anchorage on Friday evening, in order to be ready for a quick departure if conditions allowed. Unfortunately, they were hit by a squall with winds gusting up to 67 mph in the middle of the night, which dislodged them from the anchorage. They needed assistance to return to safety and, unfortunately, sustained damage to the boat in the process.
Assessment of the boat revealed key safety features had been compromised, which could not be quickly fixed, so the team were sadly left with no option but to withdraw from GB Row Challenge.
The team’s journey was not solely about the challenge; it was also about telling the story of our ocean and those dedicated to its protection, restoration, and regeneration. They have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of numerous coastal initiatives and remain committed to this mission, so please do keep an eye on their website and social media channels for further updates on this.
Despite withdrawing, the crew has still collected invaluable data on their journey along the east and south coast. This data will be analysed by scientists at the University of Portsmouth and will build on two years of data already collected by rowing teams.
Rowing around Great Britain is incredibly hard, with the combination of wind, tide and coastline creating ever-changing circumstances and unique sets of challenges in each part of the journey. This is what makes it the toughest rowing event out there.
GB Row Challenge founder, William de Laszlo, said: “I’m devastated for team Sea Change having to pull out of this year’s GB Row Challenge, but I’m pleased to hear they’re safe and well, which is the most important thing.
“This brave team of women were risking themselves in pursuit of collecting vital information about our oceans. The team has put an extraordinary amount of preparation and hard work into getting to the startline and rowing as far as they have, so they deserve huge respect and congratulations for their efforts.”
Image above shows Coastal Odyssey rowing past Donaghadee, Northern Ireland.
Previous updates:
01 July 2024
27 June 2024
23 June 2024
18 June 2024
13 June 2024
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GB Row Challenge / Sea Change / Coastal Odyssey