So at long last and after many months of anticipation and preparation, The Celtic Challenge 2014 was finally upon us - approx 92 miles of rowing across the Irish Sea from Arklow to Aberystwyth. The last time the RWYC rowers had participated in this biennial event was 2010 when many fell victim to severe and debilitating sea sickness. Many in the club had vowed never again (or as Bethan succinctly put it, "I'm not getting in that bloody boat and rowing across the Irish Sea again.") so this year most of our rowers were fresh to the event.
In our Support Boat we would have Mark Walker with his 38' yacht 'Danny Jo'. Equally vital were Stuart and Richard with their RIB 'Scorpio' - all of whom were very generously volunteering their boats and time for free. Danny Jo would be our floating base whilst Scorpio would facilitate the hourly change over of rowers and provide more intimate support and safety to the rowers on the longboat.
Our longboat of choice from the club's three was Number 58 Elen and the list of rowers was Ian, Trevor, Martin, Maggy, Angie, Rhoswen, Holly, Pete, Helen, Mike, Mark & Brian. The challenge had a planned start time of the morning on Saturday 3rd May though this was provisional and subject to change if weather dictated an earlier or later start.
Friday 2nd May - The odyssey begins - Martin & Ian at Bangor station
waiting for the train to Holyhead / to be arrested (delete as appropriate)
Peter and Holly sailed ahead with Mark and his crewman Martin in Danny Jo on Thursday 1st May arriving late the same evening. Maggy also went ahead with Porthmadoc's Support Boat. All remaining rowers would travel by train and ferry, Mike, as overall coordinator for the team, in the early hours of Friday in order to suss things out before the rest of the rowers arrived in Arklow at 1510 on Friday afternoon. Stuart and Richard were due in with Scorpio just after lunch on Friday.
So, all was set, everything in place, all under control......not quite! At 0130 on Friday morning, Mike was en route in Holyhead, awaiting his ferry when a distraught Rhoswen rang saying she wouldn't be able to row. On Thursday she'd got a sliver of glass pipette embedded in a finger but thought it just a small amount. This analysis proved to be, unfortunately, incorrect and in fact having been to A&E, it turned out the sliver was about an inch long and would require surgery to remove - rowing would be agony, impossible and potentially dangerous. The team needed 12 rowers so Sarah was rudely roused at 0150 and asked if she'd row and, thankfully, she agreed. One can only imagine Brian's response when Sarah returned from that phone call. Crisis averted! What else could go wrong?
Fast forward. Dublin and Mike's waiting for his train to Arklow. Maggy who's already in Arklow calls, rather excitedly, "They're going to start the race today! This afternoon! 1, 3 and 5pm!" Gulp! Would we all be in Arklow for the start - rowers? RIB? It was going to be very very tight what with scrutiny checks to be done as well on Danny Jo, Elen and Scorpio. Time to call Stuart - he was cool and reckoned the RIB would be about ready to go on arrival - about 1415. Good! Rowers - due in on the train at 1510 - not good as the miscellaneous start would be 1500! Only one thing to do - ring Borough Taxis of Dun Laoghaire and arrange taxis to meet the rowers off the ferry and whisk them to Arklow ETA....1215 to 12.30 - good! Thank you Sean :-)
Relax! Lots to do but just enough time to do it in.....only just. Mike arrives in Arklow at 11.10 and meets up with Pete, Holly, Maggy, Mark and Danny Jo. Scrutiny checks complete for Danny Jo - good! Scrutiny checks on Elen found 3 items missing - they're with Mike - re-scrutinised and passed - good! Race brief at 12.00 confirms we're off at 15.00 and that rowers need to be on the water at 14.30 to get downriver to the start line. Pete, Holly and Maggy oversee Elen's launch into the water - Mike runs about buying last minute food ("32 pies please.") and fetching the Yellow Brick tracker that will be fitted to Elen to plot her progress by the organisers. At 13.45 the taxis deliver the rowers who begin to get ready loading their kit onto Danny Jo and sorting a first crew who immediately start changing into rowing gear. Just Scorpio left. Mike lurks by the roundabout looking for them....14.15.....seen!! He directs them off the road, "Hi. We're off at 3...rowers are getting ready......slipway for your launch is over there (pointing).....channel 14 working channel for us......see you on the water......no time for scrutiny.....I've arranged for you to do so once on the water. Thanks."
With no time to waste, Scorpio is readied for the water. Nice wheels - no rust!
And....Elen rows down to the start, Danny Jo follows. Elen crosses the start at 15.00 with all the other miscellaneous crews and we're away! Scorpio comes thundering up minutes later. We are complete!! The rest is the easy bit - the rowing.
The start - Longboats, RIBs and Support Boats all mixed together
Despite the rushed start, things are amazingly calm and ordered aboard Danny Jo. Those not rowing sort themselves out, stow gear and orientate themselves. The next rowing crew are warned off for the change which will happen at 16.00. And that is the way it will progress for the rest of the challenge, a change of rowers every hour on the hour with the preceding cox going to row. At first the field is compact and close together, making for the mandatory turn at the South Cardinal. This funnels and keeps the field together where after they will all be free to go their own way and execute their own strategies based upon analysis of what we know the tide will do and what we all anticipate the weather might do.
Leg 2 (1600-1700): Brian, Holly, Maggy, Trevor & Ian. The South
Cardinal can just be seen in the distance beyond Elen's bow
Conditions were ideal, light Southerly winds and a flat gentle sea - the rowing was magnificent! Having passed the South Cardinal the field began to spread out and we found ourselves at the very South of the field with no one else to our right. Strategies were discussed and though it felt eerie to be setting a course apart from everyone else, we decided to stick to our guns, keep to a set heading and let the tides take us South then North then finally onto a Southern sweep into the finish at Aberystwyth.
Danny Jo navigates, Elen rows and Richard on Scorpio watches over us all
All settled into a rhythm of rowing, resting, eating, drinking tea or just sitting in Danny Jo's cockpit and taking in the beautiful vista and setting. By mid evening most other competitors had disappeared off to our left (and front!) leaving us to our own devices. Most had taken anti-sea sickness tablets and benefited. Sarah though did succumb and yodel'ed colourfully at least once - not that it stopped her taking her turn at rowing and....24 hours earlier she didn't know she'd be taking part!
On Elen life was simple. Climb aboard, adjust the foot blocks and pull away for 60 minutes or approx 1440 strokes. No drinking, no eating, no scratching, no fidgeting, no adjusting clothing......just rowing in unison on a kind....benign.....beautiful flat sea.....perfect! The Celtic Challenge is not really a race, it's an opportunity to take share a unique experience.
Leg 6 (2000-2100), Day's end: Helen, Mike, Brian, Mark and Pete
And so night falls and all the other competitors we haven't seen for hours reappear as a stream of lights to our left. Though they are miles distant, the dark and tiredness plays tricks - they seem so close that you could reach out and touch them. Those not rowing now seek sleep on the cabin seats or amid the chaos of the baggage-filled forepeak. And all this time of dark, the rowing continues, 1440 strokes an hour with one of those hours having a 'plop' also - of the light from Elen being fumbled and lost into the deep briney - RIP little light. Stuart and Richard on Scorpio keep close attendance should anyone need assistance, ever ready, ever cheerful. At home, many were watching the live feed provided by the Yellow Brick trackers fitted to every longboat:
A race webshot at 01.50 on the morning of Saturday 3rd May. Three longboats didn't get
away for various reasons and can be seen languishing in Arklow
Rowing at night is always slower than in daylight and as the dawn stole in, all the accompanying lights slipped away leaving us alone once again. Alone with the realisation that we had slowed considerably; to a crawl. It felt like we had lurched into the dawn light like one does after some all night Tijuana drinking session - bleary, stale, in need of a decent sleep and confused. Our dwindling speed was serious though and Mark's cool analysis was sobering, like only a Californian US Border Official could be, "Well. If we continue like this, we aren't going to make it in time. We'll have to tow Elen in." Well, this woke us up!! Some I think were briefly wavering on acceptance, trying to assimilate the bare facts at face value. Most though were resolute, shocked; determined to pull away again. With Captain Mark's words ringing in our ears, we decided to load the next rowing crew with the strongest rowers and pull hard.
Mark Walker. Good and economical with words when the chips are down!
And that's what we did. Every hour thereafter a strong crew changed in to row and pull hard. No messing now, get in and work hard! With this our average speed increased from a miserable single knot to a breath-taking 4 knots. As reward, the coast of Wales appeared as did other teams on the horizon and slowly we realised that we were keeping up and even gaining.
Richard and Stuart - happy to be on a roll again
As more teams appeared converging on Aberystwyth it became clear that we were not at the back of the field as we had feared only a few hours before. We were now hopeful and cheered by our new found pace - as well as learning that Porthmadoc had taken a rather large detour via Bardsey Island. On the last crew change before the final run in, rowers remained on Scorpio to accompany Elen in. Danny Jo led but would break off at the last minute to let Elen cross the finish line first. Another team was close behind us so we picked up the pace further just to be sure we weren't pipped by them.
Elen on her final run to the finish: Angie, Holly, Brian, Mike and Martin
Accompanied by Scorpio: Pete, Ian, Stuart, Trevor, Mark and Richard......
and on Danny Jo, Maggy, Helen, Sarah, Martin and Mark
We crossed the line a happy crew at 1306, 22 hours and 6 minutes after starting, approx
31,680 strokes later. To be cheered in by generous well wishers that included Rhoswen complete with bandaged finger, Neil, Meg, Bethan, Malcolm and Helen.
Elen managed a respectable 3rd out of 7 miscellaneous crews and 12th overall out of a filed of 21 finishers. Far far better than we felt we were doing in the gloom of that dawn.
Our heartfelt gratitude go to the race organisers for an excellent event. Also Stuart and Richard on Scorpio who were immaculate in looking after us so well and were 'uber cool' throughout. Mark Walker for his experience, pithiness and for generously providing Danny Jo. Martin for his cheeriness and middle of the night pasta making skills. To all who turned out to greet us and then drive our weary sleepy bodies home. And finally to those who helped along the way but couldn't be there - Elin, Debbie, Issy, Allan Price and his RIB, Neil for his t-shirt designing and Ian for arranging the special training. To all the rowers who worked so hard, as a team and in the spirit of the event. A special thank you finally to Maggy for making up our crew and Sarah for being ever ready.
Some links:
Do we have to wait two years to do it again?!
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