Weldon Stone join the team

We are proud to announce that local firm Weldon Stone have become our latest sponsors.

Weldon Stone constructs, restores and conserves fine stone buildings and features. Their sympathetic repair and cleaning of traditional stonework has helped major buildings, such as Stoneleigh Abbey, Portsmouth Cathedral and Belton House, return to their former glory. Smaller projects on churches, hospitals, bridges, and stone features are completed with equal care and skill.

I (Mick) have personally been able to visit a church that the company was restoring and climbed on scaffolding to the top of outside of the spire (scary!). It was a truly fascinting experience and showed off the enormous skill of the Weldon Team. For more information visit their website at www.weldonstone.co.uk

Thanks very much to MD Peter Dunn for his generous support.

Mick and Anton meet James Cracknell and Ben Fogle

As part of the Oundle Festival of Literature James Cracknell and Ben Fogle came to Oundle to give a talk about their recent adventures in their race to the south Pole. The duo first came together when they entered the 2005 Atlantic Rowing Race and got much publicity for rowing naked! (this is not an unusual thing for ocean rowers as clothes get caked in salt and chaffe causing sores, and if any one is asking yes we will be following their lead, weather permitting).

We were able to ask them both questions and were given the advice to take some luxuries and to make sure we were comfortable in the boat. As James Cracknell said 'A little extra comfort means extra speed'

Snooks sponsor Oarsome Challenge

We are pleased to announce that Raunds based The Snooks snooker club have become our latest sponsor. So why not pop along for a frame or two. The Snooks is situated in West Street and can be contacted on 01933 626437.

ADEC Marine join the Oarsome Challenge Team

We are proud to announce that ADEC Marine have become an official sponsor of the Oarsome Challenge team. ADEC Marine Limited are Marine Safety Specialists who sell, hire and service a complete range of lifesaving, chandlery, safety and fire fighting equipment. The are suppliers of life jackets, buoyancy aids and inflatable liferafts including the new ISO 9650 type 1 life raft.

ADEC Marine have generously supported us by supplying much of our safety equipment including lifejackets, pyrotechnics, a liferaft and grab bag, fire extinguisher, compass, drinking water, lightsticks and more.

Ocean Rowing is a dangerous sport and as such we need to have the best equipment for the job, ADEC's expertise and high quality equipment will allow us to cope with any emergency that may occur. For more information visit ADEC's website at http://www.adecmarine.co.uk/

Many thanks to Martin and his team for their generosity

Scilly (or should it be silly) row part 2

We rowed out of Newlyn harbour at 6 in the morning and out on to the open sea. This is the first time that either of us has ever rowed outside sheltered waters. We rowed togehter for 4 hours as we needed to get a good way towards Lands End before the tide turned. Quickly the other boats who were with us became dots on our very close horizon and we could only see them on when we and they were on the top of the moderate swell. The boat felt extremely stable in the water and handled short coastal chop and swell really well which is more than can be said for the crew.

After 4 hours rowing we had passed Lands End and had taken the lead from the other crews when a pin holding the steering mechanism sheared. Anton stopped to mend it and lasted two minutes before he was sea sick. With sea sickness taking it's toll and the lack of two good nights sleep Anton retired to the cabin for his first experience of sleep on the open sea.

I continued rowing for another couple of hours before the steering broke again and I stopped to fix it. Within 30 seconds of trying to concentrate on the small pin of the steering mechanism I too felt extremely sea sick and was heaving over the side. We swapped places and Anton began rowing again. We were finding extreme difficulty in holding the desoired course to the Scilly's as there was a strong Southerly breeze and this coupled with the highest spring tide of the year combined to push us North.

After 11 hours of rowing we had been swept 15 miles North of tthe Scillys and and called up the support boat on VHF to give us a tow. All the other boats were in the same situation and gradually the support boat took us all in tow. It took another four hours for us to reach St Marys harbour on the Scilly's during which we both tried to catch up on some sleep.

It was dissapointing we had not made the Scilly Isles under our own power but the real purpose of the row was to experience open sea conditions and get used to handling the boat in open water. With the choppy conditions, lack of sleep and sea sickness we certainly had experienced what it was like to be out at sea in such a small boat.

Despite the debilitating unpleasantness of the sea sickness it confirmed to us both that we could work together as a team and that Anton would officially become my new rowing partner for the race.

Rowing to the Isles of Scilly (or nearly)

At 5 am on Friday 24th August a bloke called Anton who I'd only met for 5 minutes arived at my house in readiness for a weekend which we were to spend in each others very close company!



Woodvale Challenge the race organisers had arranged a training row for those crews that were interested from Newlyn (next to Penzance) to the Scilly Isles.



With boat in tow behind the mighty HiLux an 8 hour getting to know you conversation ensued as we journeyed to Newlyn. All the time fingers crossed that we I had not bought a lemon and that it would not blow up on the M5.



On arrival in Newlyn we quickly changed the boats VHF aerial which had been snapped off for a new much longer one (the only one available in the nearby chandlers) in preparation for the row. It was good to see 3 other crews who had been on my sea survuval and navigation courses also there.



After putting the boats on the water and a quick briefing it was 11pm and time for our first nights sleep on the boat. I was not particulalrly looking forward to this as Anton is well over 6 foot and the cabin is just over 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. Surprisingly once we both managed to get in side it was remarkably comfortable.



After an all too brief sleep considering we had only had 3-4 hours sleep the previous day we were up at 3am for breakfast and preparing the boat in order to catch the tide by 6am.