Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge
The first Atlantic Rowing Race was held in 1997 enabling 30 teams of courageous individuals to set out into the unknown and row across the Mid Atlantic route from Tenerife to Barbados. Since then there have been a further five races across this route in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 with more than 240 individuals taking on the challenge and successfully joining the elite group that are Ocean Rowers.
Most recently we organised the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 which started on Sunday 4th January 2010 from the picturesque setting of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. It followed the most favoured route across the Atlantic seeking the Trade Winds and taking in the warm seas and wonderful wildlife of the Mid Atlantic. The 2,500nm route took competitors to a finish in the historic setting of English Harbour in Antigua.
The 2011 Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race will start in the Spanish port of San Sebastian de la Gomera in the Canary Islands and follows what’s known as the Columbus route, west-bound across the mid-Atlantic to Port St Charles in Barbados.
Distance
The race is 2,549 nautical miles (2,933 regular miles). When bad weather and adverse conditions are factored in, most teams will row well over 3,000 miles during their Atlantic crossing.
Competitors
The Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race attracts teams from all over the world and the number of entrants is increasing race by race, for this, the most popular of all the ocean rowing routes. The perfect ocean rower is yet to be found and successful rowers come in all shapes and sizes - from Olympic athletes to students, professionals to parents. The Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race provides ordinary individuals from a wide variety of ages, abilities and backgrounds with the extraordinary opportunity to take on a once in lifetime challenge and push themselves way beyond their mental and physical limits. It's a life changing experience. Rowers must undergo extensive training in sea survival skills, remote first aid and navigation before they can qualify to enter an ocean rowing race.
Support
The race is unassisted which means that once underway, the rowing boats will not be permitted to take advantage of any outside assistance. Boats and teams must be self-sufficient and carry with them all of the equipment and food that they will need for their journey. Any assistance such as receiving goods from passing boats would result in disqualification from the race. Accompanying the rowing fleet during the race will be Race Support vessels, whose role it is to keep check on the race teams and provide essential safety back up for any of the boats if required.
Timing
Races start in early December to coincide with the end of the hurricane season (June to November) and to get the most benefit from the easterly trade winds and Atlantic currents expected at that time of year. Boats would be expected to start arriving in the Caribbean from the middle of January onwards.
Boats
Ocean rowing boats are specifically designed and fit for purpose. They are self-righting in case of a capsize and robust enough to cope with many weeks out at sea in extreme conditions. They are kitted out with the very latest electronic systems so that boats can be tracked hour by hour, and can communicate with land and shipping while out at sea, using a variety of methods. Electrical power is generated via solar panels, making the boats exceptionally environmentally friendly while emergency drinking water is carried in the form of a required amount of ballast, stored low in the boats to ensure their self-righting integrity. The original marine ply designs are gradually being replaced by hulls moulded from composite materials, while bigger and more sophisticated boats are being developed to carry larger crews for speed record attempts.
Life on board
Conditions on board are stark and competitors can expect to experience some tough times that will test them to their limits. There is no way to walk around freely and the motion of the boat is constant. Rowers will undoubtedly encounter nature at her best and worst and during their adventure will become all too familiar with extreme temperatures, painful salt sores and blisters, powerful storms, 30 foot waves, wildlife (not all of which is friendly!) and probably the biggest danger of all – shipping. There is no room on board for home comforts, no bathroom facilities, limited cooking ability and a diet of high calorie expedition foods and snacks. They will drink desalinated water and sleep in a space smaller than a single bed!
