AN Islander preparing to row across the Atlantic has said he and his teammate remain ‘confident’ they can complete the task – after they were rescued by the RNLI during a training session.
Steve Hayes and Peter Wright, who crew Dragonfish Row, are getting ready to take part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which will see them attempt to row 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua.
While recently attempting a 36-hour training session off the Island’s coast – as part of the mandatory preparation required for the event – they called for assistance, as strong winds and the tide had prevented them from rowing back to Jersey.
However, Mr Hayes said the duo, who were helped by the St Helier all-weather lifeboat, were not in any immediate danger and were both still ‘confident’ ahead of the challenge in December.
‘We were perfectly comfortable. We could have stayed there for a week but we had to get back to work and family commitments,’ he said.
He stressed that they had informed the emergency services that there was no immediate danger – but that they were ‘going to need a tow back at some point’.
‘We were very happy chilling out on the boat and practising drills that we need to practise,’ he said.
‘It was perfect training for us – I don’t think that anyone else on the start line will have put themselves in the same situation that we were in.
‘It also gave us a lot of trust in the boat.’
