Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross are pushing westward through the English Channel on day 45 of what has often been extremely testing and unseasonal weather for their row around Britain. The poor conditions have resulted in them sheltering at anchor for much more time than they ever anticipated, but the resilient pair are not daunted as they pick up speed again and have made good progress along the south coast over recent days.
The couple have now recorded over 810 nautical miles since leaving Wick in the north of Scotland on Saturday 1 June. They aim to be the first mixed pairs team to circumnavigate Great Britain by rowing boat, while raising funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). Not yet half way, they have raised over £19,000 of their £30,000 target from the many supporters tracking their progress.
The plan is to complete the challenge unassisted which means that, for the duration of the journey, they will not touch land or accept provisions. Everything that they need has been packed onboard their 7-metre rowing boat, including dehydrated food provisions and a desalination unit to make drinking water.
Allan and Mhairi have over 35 years of RNLI seagoing service between them. Allan is a full-time coxswain on the Wick lifeboat, and Mhairi, a paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service, also volunteers as a navigator with the RNLI.
Alan said: “This is a phenomenal experience that brings about a whole spectrum of emotions from the elation of spotting dolphins and making good time in a gentle breeze to the frustration at going nowhere and finding no shelter in a deep swell and confused sea.
“We have been completely overwhelmed by the support that we’ve received to date. It is the thought of all the people that are behind us that keeps us going when times are tough. We have been encouraged by all the people we have seen along the way, including the lifeboat crews that have come out to say hello while on exercise.”
Frances Beveridge, RNLI Community Manager for North Scotland, said: “We’re incredibly proud and grateful to Allan and Mhairi for taking on this incredible challenge for the RNLI in its 200th year. The funds they raise will help support our lifesaving work across the UK and Ireland at our 236 lifeboat stations and 238 lifeguarded beaches. Allan and Mhairi display so many of our core values, including courage and selflessness, and represent the volunteers at the heart of our organisation – ordinary people doing extraordinary things. On behalf of the RNLI, I can’t thank Allan and Mhairi enough for their courage and selflessness, along with all their supporters, including Boralex – the gold sponsor of The Long Row Home.”
Boralex, the principal sponsor currently building the Limekiln Wind Farm near to the couple’s starting point of Wick, is headquartered just north of Poole in Dorset where the RNLI is based. As an onshore wind developer, Boralex has an extremely strong focus on health and safety for its staff. Even so, knowing that there are organisations able to respond to an emergency situation in some of the most challenging conditions, whether at sea or on land, is vital to ensuring its team has confidence that if something were to happen, they would be able to get help.
Esbjorn Wilmar, Managing Director of Boralex UK, said: “Boralex is proud to be supporting this amazing challenge which will support the life-saving work of the RNLI and SCAA. Many of our wind farms, including our Limekiln project, are in very remote locations and the work that SCAA does, in particular, can be critical to saving lives.”
The couple are on day 45 of a journey which is 2000+ nautical miles.
You can follow and support Allan and Mhairi’s journey via social media, a podcast, and a live tracker on their website.
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