After rowing an epic 2,535 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean, Boat No. 6 Atlantic 4 and Boat No. 30 Spirit of EDF Energy battled against each other in an exciting sprint finish early this morning (19 January 2006) for second place in the Atlantic Rowing Race 2005.
Fifty days previously, 26 teams from all around the world set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to embark on a unique adventure, to row across the Atlantic Ocean to Antigua in the West Indies in an extreme test of strength and endurance. Competing on equal terms in purposely designed and built ocean rowing boats within their respective class, the teams have been racing against each other to be the first to cross the finish line, in the fastest possible time.
Up until 24 hours ago, Boat No. 30 Spirit of EDF Energy crewed by BBC 1 Presenter, Ben Fogle and double Olympic Gold Medal rower, James Cracknell just had the edge with a 3 nautical mile lead. However, Boat No. 6 Atlantic 4 with, as its name suggests, a crew of four - George Simpson, David Martin, Neil Wightwick and Glynn Coupland ploughed on the pressure in the last few hours. They eventually passed Boat No. 30, crossing the finish line at 0226 Hours GMT this morning, claiming second place overall in a time of 49 days 14 hours and 21 minutes.
They were closely followed by Ben and James in Spirit of EDF Energy, which crossed the finish line due of South of Cape Shirley, Antigua at 0713 Hours GMT in a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours and 08 minutes. Although Ben and James just missed out on second place overall, as the first pairs boat to finish the race, they claimed first place in their class.
Woodvale Events Managing Director, Simon Chalk comments:
"This has been one of the most exciting finishes ever. To row 2,535 nm across an ocean only to find that you have another boat coming right up behind you and threatening to overtake you in the last few miles is just totally amazing.
"The camaraderie between the entire fleet has created a strong sense of friendly competition and I hear that that there has been some great banter between these two particular boats over the airwaves during the last few days. Both crews have pushed themselves to the limit to achieve this most monumental goal and I am sure that many stories about their adventures will be told in the bar over the next few days."
Having battled against three low pressure systems, two tropical storms and the tail end of a hurricane, the weather conditions during this, the fourth edition of the Atlantic Rowing Race event have been less than favourable, causing all sorts of problems for the racing fleet. When Ben and James crossed the finish line their remaining rowing seat only just held out and the tolls of the last 49 days at sea could clearly been seen of their faces.
However, the spirits of the crew members onboard both boats were immediately lifted when they were met by their proud family and friends as they stepped back onto dry land. Glynn Coupland from Atlantic Four in particular was elated at seeing his 2 month old baby for the first time since the birth, after having to fly out to La Gomera for the start of the Race soon after.
Overall Race winners, All Relative were also there to welcome both boats in and despite the unusual time of night, a fantastic celebration soon developed on the quay side in true Caribbean style.