Atlantic 09

Rowing the Atlantic first became mainstream when the first Atlantic Rowing Race was launched by Sir Chay Blyth, after reflecting on his own ocean row that propelled him to international renown. This was the Port St. Charles, Barbados Atlantic Rowing Race. Thirty double-handed teams lined up at the start line in a "one design" rowing boat just outside of Los Gigantes marina on Sunday 12 October 1997. The race was won by Kiwi Challenge, rowed by Rob Hamill and Phil Stubbs after 41 days at sea. Second place went to the French crew of Atlantik Challenge, Joseph Le Guen and his partner, a double convicted murderer, Pascal Blond.

Later Atlantic rowing races:

• Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Race 2001 - Won by Matt Goodman & Steve Westlake in Telecom Challenge 1

• Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race 2003 - Won by James Fitzgerald & Kevin Biggar in Holiday Shoppe Challenge

• Ocean Rowing Society's Atlantic Rowing Race 2004 [1] - Fours event won by Queensgate (GB); Pairs event won by Christopher Morgan and Michael Perrins in Carpe Diem (GB)

• Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race 2005 - Overall race won by Clint Evans and Chris Andrews in C² (GB)

• Shephard Ocean Fours Rowing Race 2006 - Inaugural North Atlantic Rowing Race won by team O.A.R. Northwest (Jordan Hanssen, Brad Vickers, Greg Spooner, and Dylan LeValley) rowing James Robert Hanssen

On 10 July 2005 the Vivaldi Atlantic four-man team (Nigel Morris, George Rock, Steve Dawson, Rob Munslow) set the record for fastest unsupported row from St John's Canada to the longitude of Bishop Rock lighthouse, UK. They left on 31 May 2005, arriving back on 10 July 2005 in a time of 39 days 22 hours and 10 minutes.

The Vivaldi Atlantic four also became the first four-man team ever to row the North Atlantic West to East. This record still stands as the fastest unsupported row across the North Atlantic.

On 3 December 1999 Tori Murden of the USA became the first woman to row any ocean solo when she arrived in Guadeloupe, having set off from Tenerife in the Canary Islands 81 days earlier. In March 2006 Julie Wafaei of Canada became the first woman to row across the Atlantic from mainland to mainland.

The fastest unsupported row from USA to England was set in 2005 by The Ocean Fours (NL) (Gijs Groeneveld, Robert Hoeve, Jaap Koomen, Maarten Staarink) with the Vopak Victory. They left New York on 27 May and crossed the Bishops Rock longitude 60 days, 16 hours and 19 minutes later.

Atlantic Ocean Racing

The first ocean to be deliberately rowed was the Atlantic by Frank Samuelsen and George Harbo on the 6th of June 1896.

The two men were from Norway and had immigrated to America, not happy with what they found they decided to go home and with that the pair left Battery Park, Manhattan on 6 June 1896 arriving in Le Havre, France, 55 days and 13 hours later having covered 3,250 miles.

To family, friends, and those intimate with the sea, the plan appeared suicidal; but to the two men, the crossing represented a way out of lives offering little promise. Their hope was to attract worldwide attention and lucrative lecture and exhibition fees if they succeeded.

They rowed in a tiny eighteen-foot boat with no sail, no steam engine, not even a rudder to aid them as they struggled with storms, a capsize, hunger, relentless fatigue, great mental hardship, andnear collisions with ships, whales, and an iceberg. Sadly, their dream of fame and fortune eluded them, and for more than one hundred years -- until the publication of their logs in book format -- they remained unsung and unknown heroes.