Posted on 13th Feb
Transatlantic Mansfield charity rowers George Nelson and Russ Davis are less than 1,000 miles away from completing their three-month plus challenge to row 3,500-miles unsupported from Portugal to Sint Maarten in the Caribbean in their Innovation Nottinghamshire Memory Boat.
George said on Monday: “Yesterday we reached our long-awaited 1,000 miles to go waypoint!
“Wow! What a sense of relief! We celebrated with the obligatory wee dram (from our infinity bottle)! and, because of the significance of the milestone, we decided to over indulge with a big bag of plain cashew nuts!
“For dinner, we added our freshly hand-caught fish to tomato paella (and experienced one of our most hearty meals by far).
“Such a welcome boost for us, and although we didn’t reach our daily mileage target, we were satisfied that we’d had a good day.
“Overnight, the wind intensified and the sea state became turbulent… and whilst we were busy rowing, the flying fish returned with a vengeful comeback and pelted us both. I got slapped on the cheek (twice) and Russ was body slammed!”
The Mansfield brothers-in-law, who hope to raise £250,000 for dementia charities, hope to complete their challenge in mid-March.
George and Russ – known as Oar Blimey – set off on a three-month adventure of a lifetime on 1st December, aiming to row unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean and raise £250,000 for two dementia charities. They will each row for two hours at a time and then rest in between.
The two men had no experience of a rowing challenge, although George did take part in the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race in 2015-16. Russ had no previous experience of being at sea.
The 3,500-mile challenge began in front of a small group of supporters in Portugal and the duo want to reach Sint Maarten in the Caribbean.
Team Oar Blimey are rowing in a Rannoch Adventure R20, which is just 6.5m long and 1.2m wide, in their bid to help Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure and Ladybrook Enterprises.
The rowers can be tracked at www.oarblimey.co.uk or download the YB Races app and add their race, “Oar Blimey Atlantic Ocean Challenge 2023”.
To find out more about the rowing challenge or to help support the cause, visit https://oarblimey.co.uk where you can make a donation or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oarblimey
