Raised to date:

£1,525,050.44

DAY 24 – SCOTT BLANEY

At last the weather is getting better. It’s been easier to rest and easier to manage the routine now that we are not getting smashed by a wave every 5minutes. Because the conditions are better we had a great Christmas. ‘Skips’ (James), gave us a whole 30minutes off for our Christmas lunch! We sat around and had some whisky, gobstoppers and food and then we opened each other’s presents. I think the best present was the Army speedo’s from Jenks. James gave Cayle some Juggling Balls. I got Jenks a facemask to look after his sensitive skin, some Fishermen’s Friend mints for Cayle and some wine for James. It was a great Christmas day until we topped it off with the auto-helm breaking for the last time. We have now fitted the spare one.

The routine is pretty stuck in now. The night shifts are hard but you get used to it and to the discipline. The 3 hour night shift is still the toughest but it feels a bit like being back on an Army exercise so you just get into a routine. My recent highlights have been 1) The sunrises – they are amazing (and they mean the night shift is finally over) and 2) Jenks falling overboard today. Jenks has the stability of a baby – we renamed him Bambi on Ice. He got out of the cabin today and said, “any excitements to report from the last shift” and the next thing you knew he had tipped into the water and was dragging along on his harness strap.  Cayle told me to stay in the cabin while they pulled him out.

Overall we are adapting well. We do everything as a team and share all the work, everyone is equal apart from when it comes to getting around on deck – Jenks has some severe disabilities. Cayle and I are very good at this because we shift around on our arse and that keeps us very stable.

Wildlife report: I saw a shark recently but that’s a negative on Whales and Dolphins. There are tonnes of flying fish now and we expect more as we go west.  Weather looking good for the next few days and we are feeling good about being in 2nd position. I don’t think we will catch the first boat but we will do our best. It’s probably about a month until we get to Antigua and James has been telling us all about Nelsons dockyard where we will be heading to get a nice cold beer. I can’t wait for that moment. Oh, and to see my fiancé Amy of course!

Latest Blog Posts

DAY 49 - CAYLE ROYCE'S FINISH LINE BLOG

After a frustrating last 24 hours or so we began today with slow conditions and not much visibility. It was quite squally, with little rain showers coming and going, but things cleared quite abruptly around 8am and suddenly we could see land. After being hidden in the mist it appeared out of nowhere and it seemed really close! This last stretch was totally different to the first half of the race. For so much of this crossing the weather has been horrific, I have never experienced anything like this. Yesterday morning at 8 am marked the first time in the entire race that we had a full 24 hours out of full foul weather gear and today is also the first day that an equipment failure would not be a cause for emotional devastation. I always thought that we would make it, but equipment failures could have slowed us down a lot. The thought of breakages always kept us on edge. But now we can finally enjoy the realisation that WE HAVE DONE IT!!!!!!!!

Read More | posted on Jan 21, 2014

DAY 48 – SCOTT BLANEY'S FINAL BLOG

It feels great to count down the hours and the miles. It is a big morale boost to know that we are almost there. For most of the crossing I had felt confident that we would make it but we did have a few scares. When the auto-helm broke I did worry that we would be down to one rower for the whole crossing. One rowing and one hand-steering would have been a horrible routine. Luckily we managed to fix it. But the most important bit of equipment is my leg - it has never let me down.

Read More | posted on Jan 20, 2014

DAY 47 – MARK JENKINS FINAL BLOG

Hard as it is to believe, this is my final blog! It has been a moment to reflect on an extraordinary 7 weeks at sea and an even more extraordinary group of people. By that I mean not just the guys in the boat, but the many wounded persons that they represent. I have been thinking a lot about what this team has achieved and what we hope others can achieve. This project has been about setting a huge challenge, committing wholeheartedly to it and then facing every challenge head on in pursuit of our goal. There have been no excuses only a choice to live this experience to its fullest and to take a positive attitude to all things. I hope that we have demonstrated that it is not what people see in you but what you go on to do that counts. I want to thank to all those who have personally supported me – you know who you are. There were a few people who said it could not be done. Oh dear… you will have to kiss my nappy-rash!

Read More | posted on Jan 19, 2014