Rower to repeat ocean crossing attempt

A CORK man who attempted to cross the Atlantic by row boat last year has decided to repeat the exercise in 2010 – in the opposite direction.

Peter Williams from Cork city, who in January 2009 was part of a 14-strong international crew which attempted to break a world record for crossing the Atlantic, will depart from Agadir in Morocco aiming for Bridgetown in Barbados.

He will be part of a six-strong crew skippered by Englishman Matt Craughwell, and will be accompanied by a second Corkman, Mike Jones, 29, from Cobh.

Last year’s transatlantic row included Apprentice contestant Breffny Morgan.

Later this month the crew will set off on a fresh voyage, and the first to use Agadir as a start port for an ocean row.

“We are choosing Agadir as our start point as we followed the Transat Classique Yacht Race last year which started from Agadir and were most impressed with the suitability of Agadir as a start port for a transatlantic voyage,” Williams, 26, said.

“Not only that, the idea of being the first ocean rowing crew to depart from Agadir is something that really appeals to us too.

“While we will be only the second ever ocean rowing voyage to start an east to west crossing of the Atlantic from Morocco, a staggering 213 ocean rowing voyages have left from the Canary Islands.”

Crew members will face 12 hours of rowing each day in a two hours on, two hours off shift pattern, on their boat ‘Sara G’, which has already been rowed from New Zealand to Australia in 2007.

Last year, the row had to be abandoned 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) across the Atlantic due to losing the boat’s rudder. At the time the crew was three days ahead of record pace schedule.

The other Corkman on board is Mike Jones, who works as the operations manager for the University of Limerick Activity Centre.

The crew’s boat is moored at Port de Plaisance Marina in Agadir and will set off in appropriate weather.

The crossing is expected to last 45 days.

* worldoceanrowing.com