A LONG-DISTANCE rowing and cycling challenge covering the entire length of the British Isles has set off from Jersey after some weather-related delays.
The four-man crew attempting the True South North Adventure had arrived last week ahead of their attempt to travel over land and sea from the southernmost point of British land to the northernmost extreme.
After completing a ten-mile row from the Minquiers to St Helier on Monday, adverse wind and sea conditions led to a two-day delay to the next leg.
The team eventually headed north away from Bonne Nuit soon after sunrise yesterday, making good progress across to Sark, from where, after a short breather they were due to head north-east towards Alderney and then across the English Channel to Portsmouth.
Psychologist and adventurer Professor Kevin Dutton is leading the mission and will be joined by one novice rower – bookshop owner Patrick Neale – and two experienced oarsmen, Billy Taylor and Gary Hutchings.
Once they reach the south-coast of England, the team will switch to a specially-made tandem bicycle for their journey to the north of Scotland, after which they will return to their rowing boat for the final stretch to the Shetland Islands, where the finish line is sited at the rocky mass of Out Stack.
Although the “straight-line” distance for the challenge is around 1,000 miles, the actual route will be closer to 1,500 miles and is predicted to take around six weeks.
One of the celebrity supporters of the challenge, Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson, made the trip over to Jersey at the weekend to wish the team well ahead of their departure.
The start came around an hour later than scheduled as a technical issue with the boat’s rudder was rectified, involving a bracing dip into the sea for Mr Taylor.
More information on the challenge, including links for tracking the crew’s progress and making online donations, is available at southnorthadventures.com
