FROME man, Mike Winn and three crewmates are world record breakers after becoming the oldest four-man crew to row across the Atlantic.
Their 3,000 mile journey – in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge – started in La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finished 49 days, 8 hours and 40 minutes later in San Sebastian, Antigua. They are currently awaiting ratification of the record by The Guinness Book of Records.
Before they set off, the record for the combined age of a crew stood at 223 years and 211 days. However, Mike and his team of Guy Munnoch, John Moorhouse and Steve Hughes had the combined age of 257 years and 10 days.
Mike, aged 64, told Frome Times, “From a personal point of view, I am just realising what a massive achievement it was – it shows that, if you put your mind to it, no matter what your age, you are capable of achieving far more than you believe yourself capable of.
“High points of the row were the marine life that we spotted (whales, dolphin, giant turtle), the magnificent sunrises and sunsets, the welcome we received in Antigua and the huge support that we received throughout the row from family, friends and even a lot of people we had never met.
“What I missed most during the row was space (there were four of us on an eight metre boat for 49 days!), a proper shower and family/friends – not necessarily in that order. In spite of the UK weather, it’s good to be home though and be able to say that I have rowed the Atlantic.
“And in answer to the question – would I do it again? the answer is a definite ‘NO’.”
During the challenge, the group raised money for two charities Blind Veterans UK and Open Arms Malawi. Their combined total currently stands at over £25,000.
To donate visit the two Justgiving pages: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-moorhouse5 and www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-moorhouse4.
