Scilly Boys

The Atlantic Challenge 2008
Statue of Liberty, New York to Bishop Rock Lighthouse, Isles of Scilly
3250sm : 2835nm

Four Island rowers will depart from New York to row back home Scilly this summer departing June 1st 2008.

There will be many hardships to overcome during this "Challenge of a Lifetime", their journey will take them close to the Grand Banks with freezing temperatures, ice flows, and fog. Here they will not have the advantage of mid Atlantic trade winds, or calm seas, the crew will be prepared for mountainous seas with 30ft waves, known as one of "The Worlds Toughest Challenges", only six successful crossings have been made on this route over the past 100 years.

We aim to have the best prepared crew and equipment ever assembled for the row, the team have been training hard for over a year. The 29ft (9mtr) GRP composite Woodvale fours boat will weigh about 2 ton on departure with a full cargo of safety equipment,1500 freeze dried meals, refreshments,and a watermaker to turn salt water to drinking water, each rower is expected to burn around 10,000 calories a day rowing 2hrs on, 2hrs off, 24/7.

Supplied with the latest electronics, the boat will be able to show daily progress and beam visual images back to the Islands with on board cameras. The team hope to complete the journey without any physical human contact, without accepting any food or drinks until reaching land on Scilly, they aim for "The first land to land unassisted row record" on this classic route.

Records show two Norwegian/Americans, George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen in 1896 were the first to row from New York to Scilly, they had many difficulties, they capsized several times their supplies replenished by passing cargo ships, recording a passage of 55 days13 hours , this time remains unbeaten! Oliver Hicks "Virgin Atlantic" solo row in 2005, became the only successful rower of the Harbo and Samuelsen land to land route to Scilly. The best modern day record time from New York belongs to a Dutch crew of four in "Vopak Victory" 60 days 16 hrs, they crossed the north/south Bishop Rock Lighthouse line about 70 miles south of Scilly.

Our team "Scilly Boys" are fully commited to the "Challenge of a lifetime" and will be looking for good weather patterns to land The North Atlantic record on Scilly