Irish rowers send out distress signal

Fears were raised for the safety of two Irish men taking part in a gruelling transatlantic rowing race tonight after they sent out distress signals.

The pair – Ciaran Lewis (aged 34) and 28-year-old Gearoid Towey – who are on board the seven-metre Digicel Atlantic Challenge boat taking part in the Atlantic Rowing Race sent out an emergency position beacon signal.

A team organiser with Digicel Atlantic Challenge, Donal Hanrahan, said: “The distress signals sent out were registered by the US Coast Guard as belonging to Ciaran Lewis and Gearoid Towey.”

Lewis and Irish Olympic Rower, Towey, left La Gomera in the Canary Islands on November 30 and are headed for Antigua in the Caribbean, as part of a 2,550 nautical mile race.

This is the 40th day since the pair left the port.

The signals they sent out were picked up by the US Coast Guard at Norfolk, Virginia. The US Coast Guard diverted vessels to the area 1,400 nautical miles south-east of Bermuda.

Mr Hanrahan said: “The distress signals could be set off for a variety of reasons – that they are sitting in the boat and the oars are broken. So it could be something minor, or it could be something major.”

The organiser said he had spoken to them earlier on in the day and everything was fine.

Power on board the Digicel Atlantic Challenge comes from solar panels and a car battery, while energy generated is used for a satellite phone, radio, radar deflector, global positioning system (GPS) and navigation lights.

As part of the Atlantic Rowing Race, known as the toughest rowing race on earth, the competitors have to row a boat without receiving outside assistance for around 2,550 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean.