Land ahoy! Those words will be the most welcome sound that Peter Raab (left) and Tim Wilks could possibly here, as they reach the end of their 3,000 mile Atlantic rowing challenge from Tenerife to Antigua, West Indies.
The pair are following a proud tradition of ocean rowing from Tenerife and will be inspired by the thought of the Orobal charity they are raising money for. Based in Los Cristianos, Orobal helps to improve the quality of life for mentally and physically handicapped children.
Freebird are pleased to be sponsoring the crew and their boat, Martha Dos as the departure date of December 8 looms closer. The marine plywood boat, stuck together with glue will set out from Puerto Colon harbour, home of the Freebird catamarans. Leading up to the big day, Freebird will be organising a series of events to raise funds for the intrepid rowers and would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved, contact angela@freebirdsailing.com.
Martha Dos knows the route, the boat did the crossing in 2001 in just 61 days, the record is an amazing 35 days. Peter and Tim have no set time scale, they just want to get across in one piece and avoid any big storms or problems with their basic equipment.
As you sit down to your christmas dinner, they will be bobbing about in the middle of the Atlantic, and if they are lucky, they may catch a fish for a special treat to supplement their nutritional but bland diet. Good luck guys.