News

Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 - Ocean Rowing Positions Finished Assisted and Retired from Race April 2010 In this years race there have been a number of ocean rowing teams that have complet... more

After 118 Days the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 has drawn to a close. Ocean Rowing Races will never be the same again. To class this years event as being the toughest ever would be a gross understateme... more

Sean McGowan, onboard Tess arrived in English Harbour, Antigua at 10.44 Local Time, 14.44 UTC on the 2nd May 2010. The overall crossing time of 118D 1H 14M. After suffering capsize, being knock... more

Leo Rossette passed the longditude of Marie Gallante on the 13th April at 15.02 UTC giving him an Atlantic crossing time of 99 D 1H 32M. In the traditional means of recording crossing times, this ti... more

Calling all Rowers & Suporters! To congratulate the rowers of 2009 on their recent Indian & Atlantic crossings we are holding a prize giving ceremony on the 22nd May 2010 and we would ... more

Team Boogie Woogie, Ole Elmer & Brian Heron have crossed the finish line with a crossing time of 96 days, 20hours and 15 minutes. Ole & Brian are both no strangers to extreme sports, h... more

James Dennistoun & Samual Langmead crossed the finish line on the 30th March 2010 @ 18.34 UTC. James & Sam were on board "Heart of the Warrior", nicknamed HOT W and have made a c... more

We are pleased to report that Roger Haines has safely made land with a crossing time of 92 days 6 hours and 52 minutes. Roger has had an extraordinary journey to get to Antigua, aiming first f... more

Will Smith & Tom Heal crossed the finish line of the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race @ 13.49 on the 25th March 2010 making them the youngest pair to have rowed the Atlantic Ocean and indeed ANY ocean. ... more

Luke Grose and Alex Macdonald on Yorkshire Challenger crossed the finish line of the Atlantic Ocean rowing race 2009 on Monday 29th March and have an official finish time of 84 days, 2 hours and 52 mi... more

The Atlantic Rowing Race 2009, now 86 days old has just 5 crews left, after James Dennistoun and Sam Langmead on HOTW completed the race on Tuesday 30th March.   Of the crews ... more

Norman and James Beech – The Beech Boys, completed the Atlantic Rowing Race at 17:59 hrs UTC on Saturday 27th March. They received a race time of 82 days 4 hours and 29 minutes and we... more

Stuart Burbridge in his boat Ocean Summit has completed the Atlantic Rowing Race having crossed the finish line at 16:17 hours UTC on Saturday 27th March 2009. The official race time was 82... more

The Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 is now 12 weeks old, and there are just 7 crews of the 30 that started still at sea with an average of under 400nm to go. The last 7 ocean days saw 6 crews reac... more

A close battle is emerging as Ocean Summit lead the Beech boys by just 1 nm at the end of the 81st day and are within the last 100nm. Judging by their co-ordinates they could well be insight of each... more

The weather continues to provide the remaining crews with good rowing conditions, averaging 38nm each on day 80. However, the strong winds and waves can sometimes act as a double edged sword - while a... more

PRESS RELEASE - DAVES BROOKS COMPLETES STAGE 1 Solo rower Dave Brooks crossing the finish line of the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 on his boat Team Panasonic on Tuesday 23rd March 2010 at 21:53 hrs U... more

Day 79 (Tues 23 Mar 1330 - Wed 24 Mar 1330) 79 days completed, and of the 30 crews and 59 competitors that started the race, 20 crews have made land and 10 are still at sea. After an incredible fe... more

After 77 days at sea on board the Spirit of Montanaro Adam and Jimmy rowed into English Harbour, Antigua on 22nd March 2010. They were just in time for Adam’s girlfriends birthday. ... more

The Atlantic Vets Cross the finish line @ 16.36 UTC on the 22nd March 2010 Jim Houlton & Paul Milnthorpe on board "The Reason Why" crossed the finish line with a crossing time of 77 ... more

Annie Januszewski and Melanie King on Explore completed the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race 2009 at 16:08 UTC on Monday 22nd March with a race time of 77 days, 2 hours and 38 minutes. They end the race in ... more

Spirit of Montanaro crosses the finish line at 12.41 UTC on the 22nd March 2010. The Pytheas Club, made up of Adam Rackley and Jimmy Arnold crossed the finish line with a crossing time of 76 days,... more

Stephen Coe and Richard Hoyland on boat No Fear completed the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 on Monday 22nd March 2010. They crossed the finish line at 8:43 UTC giving them a race time of 76 days 5 hours... more

  Day 78 (Mon 22 Mar 1330 - Tue 23 Mar 1330) Following a hectic 3 day period with 9 crews reaching Antigua there are now 11 crews still at sea. Dave Brooks is the next due in with 25n... more

  Statement in relation to incident - Vision of Cornwall Capsize 22nd March 2010 At 01.02 UTC a position was received by the race officer in relation to the final approach of the oc... more

Mission Atlantic crosses the finish line @ 21.59 UTC on the 20th March 2010. Dominion Mission Atlantic carried the Atlantic Water babes in safe and well with a crossing time of 75 days 8 hours and... more

The crew of Pendovey Swift, Mike Arnold and Simon Evans completed the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race 2009 at 11:13 hours UTC on Sunday 21st March to complete the event in 75 days 20 hours and 17 minutes. ... more

Pete Van Kets has completed the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race 2009 having crossed the finish line at 1330 hrs UTC on Sunday 21st March with a race time of 76 days exactly. He becomes the 2nd solo class... more

Limited Intelligence crossed the finish line at 13.40 UTC on Saturday 20th March 2010 to complete their Atlantic crossing in 75 days 0 hours and 10 minutes. Their race and crossing was thrown into... more

Spirit of MA crosses the finish line at 1640hrs UTC on the 20th March 2010 Neil Gyllenship & Dean Jagger of Team Heatwave have made a crossing time of 75 days, 3 hours and 10 minutes. Ne... more

At the conclusion of day 76, 13 crews had completed the race distance with a further 6 crews inside the last 100nm. So far, the original 3 crews in the fours class have completed the distanc... more

There will be several boats making land in the next 3 to 4 days so here are a few snippets from the teams still on the ocean of their highlights and tales in the last 24 hours, closing day 74. The... more

Dream Maker, the mixed pair crew of Mick Birchall and Lia Ditton crossed the finish line at 12.59 UTC, claiming a race time of 72 days, 23 hours and 29 minutes. They have also claimed to be th... more

There is now a couple of days before the next crews are due in, with Limited Intelligence, the now out of class 3 due in over the weekend along with Mission Atlantic, the all female four. James Ke... more

Red Arrow crosses the finish line at 22.17 UTC on the 17th March 2010 The Red Arrow boys Richard Hume & Tom Barnes have crossed the finish line with a crossing time of 72 days, 8hrs and 43... more

Great excitement mounts with the impending arrival of crews into English Harbour, Antigua. Red Arrow are the next crew due in, lying just 20nm from the finish line at the end of day 72. They... more

During the night Joe Thompson and Chris Brooks, the crew of HCL Workforce 1 became the seventh crew to reach Antigua. They made land at 00:33 UTC and recorded a race time of 70 days 11 ... more

HCL Workforce crosses the finish line @ 0033hrs UTC on the 16th March 2010. Joe Thompson & Chris Brooks have made the sandy white shores of Antigua just in time for their very much blogged ... more

Day 69 saw a repeat of yesterday's averages, with crews completing nearly 900nm between them, 35nm each. With several crews due to make land this week there is more anticipation and excitement gatheri... more

At the conclusion of day 68 Roberto Coin completed the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 to come 3rd in class and 5th overall. They finished just over 20nm ahead of Patience to secure there podium position. P... more

Roberto Coin crosses the finish line at 13.21hrs UTC on the 13th March 2010 It was an emotional time for the boys from Roberto Coin as they leapt for land at the finish. Matthew was first off t... more

The completion of day 66 saw crews make good 713.4nm, an average of 27.43 nm per crew. With 4 crews having completed the race, 26 still remain on the ocean, with 15 inside the last 500nm. However, t... more

Vivaldi (Rames Dames) Win the Fours Class of the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009! The Rames Dames crossed the finish line at 18.04 UTC on the 9th March 2009, giving them first place in the Atlantic ... more

Karukera Cross the Finish Line @ 23.04 UTC!  We are pleased to announce that Francois Lamy & Benoit Dusser, onboard Karukera have crossed the finish line at 23.04 UTC and made it safe... more

  QBE Insurance Challenger Wins the Pairs Class of the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009/10! Woodvale Challenge Ltd can confirm that QBE Insurance Challenger have won the Atlantic Rowing Rac... more

Crews continue to make good progress, moving over 1300nm towards Antigua, the best distance for over a month and an average of more than 46nm per crew. QBE Insurance Challenger managed 53nm,... more

Another great day of rowing for the fleet, with all crews rapidly moving towards Antigua. A total of over 1200nm made good with QBE Insurance Challenger top scoring with 65nm. They are now ... more

The figures are in for day 57 and they are good – with a total DMG of 1200nm, an average of 40nm per crew, a repeat of yesterday’s figures and an indication that the weather real... more

Following 8 gruelling weeks at sea, 1 oarsman has made land and successfully completed the Atlantic Rowing Race 09, but there are still 58 competitors at sea giving their all to make land as... more

Crews could breathe a little easier today as the latest low pressure system moves away, allowing them to make good 1100nm in 24 hours, almost 40nm per crew – the best result for 5 days... more

The fleet restored some progress to the race as they collectively moved just over 250nm, a little under10nm per crew. Progress was again mixed, as the low pressure continues to move east ove... more

Crews have had mixed fortunes over the last 24 hours, with crews at the front of the fleet currently enduring the brunt of the bad weather, while crews at the back have continued to progress... more

Having rowed a colossal 2548nm across the Atlantic Ocean, Charlie Pitcher made history this morning by becoming the first solo competitor to win a multi class ocean rowing race. Charlie, in ... more

After yesterdays strong progress crews have again been pegged back, making good just 400nm in the last 24 hours. The weather continues to reap havoc across the fleet. Overnight, the crews fu... more

Crews made better progress over the last 24 hours, making good 1200nm. All crews appear to be moving relatively well considering the conditions – but that could change at a moments not... more

Another 1200nm made good by crews on day 50, an average of 40nm per crew.   Charlie Pitcher, due to make land on Thursday looks to have lost his sprint race with Da Capo. Afte... more

Crews continue forward towards Antigua making 1000nm, as they continue to struggle with a lack of wind limiting progress. After 7 weeks at sea the first crew, Charlie Picher on JJ should mak... more

The fleet struggle for a third successive day making just 900nm towards the finish, an average of just over 30nm each – a far cry from the 50nm average crews have managed before. With very... more

Crews made just over 1000nm towards the finish on day 47 – which represents a slight decline on previous day’s, party due to the low winds currently passing over the fleet &ndash... more

Here follows a list of possible accomodation options for family, friends and supporters looking to travel out to Antigua. All options are based near the finishing line. Towards the foot of the... more

Crews repeated the 1100nm made good yesterday on day 46. While conditions are just about favourable many crews are struggling to make big distances as the wind just is not strong enough to h... more

Day 44 saw another 1200nm made good, 40nm per crew, including a further 79nm for Charlie Pitcher – this sees him move firmly into the last 500nm of the race and means he is almost cer... more

The start of week seven, day 43 was the best start to a week yet with a combined DMG of 1300nm, an indication that the crews are progressing nicely with an Easterly breeze. While the winds are not t... more

Crews have now endured 6 weeks at sea and have battled incredibly bravely to be where they are. To date nearly 39,000nm have been rowed towards English Harbour, Antigua, which represents 51... more

Crews endured another tough day on the Atlantic Ocean having completed just 600nm on day 41.This is a mild improvement on the previous day, and a trend that should continue over coming days.... more

Crews made just 400nm on day 40, not just the lowest of the week, but also the 7th lowest since the start of the race, remembering most crews were on para anchor during the first few days of... more

The conditions again hamper crews as they made good just 1000nm, the sixth successive decline in as many days. Red Arrow continue to be the inform crew, clocking up another 58nm over the las... more

Britannia III made land at Port ST. Charles Barbados today, Thursday 11th February 2010 at 1637 UTC. They were at sea for 38 days 11 hours and 7 minutes, having left the Island of La Gomera on ... more

Crews continue to move well despite the poor weather. Between them they covered 1200nm on day 38 the lowest total for 4 days, and as a fleet have completed over 34,000nm of the race. The... more

The fleet have slowed slightly as the weather tightens, scoring 1300nm of DMG, a 45nm average per crew. With this, the crews off Dream Maker and HCL Workforce 1 pass halfway, with many crews... more

The fleet have repeated the success of yesterday with a DMG of almost 1400nm, almost 50nm per crew. The forecast suggests that crews will continue to benefit from Easterly winds for the next couple ... more

Another great result for the fleet on day 35 – a total DMG of almost 1400nm, an average of almost 50nm per crew. There have also been some significant changes in the progress board. All crews ... more

Another  1100nm completed by the fleet through day 34, a drop which is a reflection of the slight change in wind speed and direction over the weekend.  Just 12nm separated the 2 leading pa... more

The last few days has seen excellent progress by the fleet, having exceeded an average DMG of 40nm per crew for 3 days. This continued distance means that the leading pairs crews of Karukera and QBE... more

All but 2 crews are making progress towards Antigua now that the area of low pressure has passed – resulting in a rejuvenated fleet with following winds and seas forecast for the next week. Wh... more

Starting almost a month late the Atlantic Rowing Race 09 has been as captivating and addictive to follow as any other. After a suitable weather window allowed the fleet to leave La Gomera all crews ma... more

Fleet progress repeats itself for another day, with each crew losing an average of 4nm again. The continued bad weather has now severely hampered fleet record attempts, including that of Charlie Pit... more

Crews continue to struggle, with day 26 seeing the biggest loss of distance since the low pressure set in over the fleet with crews losing on average 4nm. There are no substantial gains or losses ac... more

Crews suffered for a third day with conditions steadily worsening through the fleet. With most crews on para anchor the average loss per crew was another 3 nautical miles. The class leaders remain u... more

The fleet continue to suffer with adverse weather, having lost nearly 100nm between them through day 24. With most of the fleet on para anchor crews become passengers in the ocean, and as a result o... more

The fleet has now been slowed with Southerly and South Westerly winds pushing against crews. Distance made good across the fleet was the lowest since the start of the race, with crews totalling just... more

There is no change at the front after day 22. JJ continues to extend his lead over Karukera and QBE Insurance Challenger. However, Pendovey Swift were one of 5 crews that topped 50nm yesterday, and ... more

Crews have now been at sea for 3 weeks and spirits are generally high across the fleet. While all competitors have had to overcome problems, be they physical, electrical or mechanical, all are manag... more

Charlie Pitcher continues to extend his lead over the fleet, with Karukera leading the pairs class by 75nm. QBE Insurance Challenger, Roberto Coin and Patience lead the chasing pairs and are... more

Today has seen yet another oceanic birthday. This time the celebrations are for Stuart Burbridge enjoying his 34th birthday onboard Ocean Summit. Stuart and Rob will be looking to continue the goo... more

Most supporters will no doubt be aware that as the fleet progress around the Earth they will move through several time zones. Celestially speaking noon is the time at which the sun passes th... more

As many supporters are no doubt aware, the afternoon progress updates have been missed or delayed in recent days. This is quite simply down to the popularity of the website during that perio... more

After 16 days at sea the fleet are spread across 500nm of Atlantic Ocean. Charlie Pitcher continues to lead the fleet, having extended his lead over the fleet to nearly 50nm (180nm to his n... more

As the second week draws to a close, it is time for a brief reflection on the events over the first 14 days.   To date the fleet have made good over 12,000nm, and have compl... more

The news that Britannia III has altered course and is now heading for Barbados dominates the news off the fleet today. In short, the conditions for crossing to Barbados should increase the... more

Following careful consideration the skipper and support crew for the Britannia III record attempt have decided to reroute the finish to Bridgetown, Barbados.   This decision w... more

Day 10 has seen the fleet repeat the distance made good for a fourth consecutive day, rowing a combined total of over 1200nm towards the finish, 42nm per crew. This sustained high mileage ha... more

The fleet made excellent headway again, having made good over 1200nm for the third successive day, an average of over 42nm per crew. Charlie Pitcher continues to lead the fleet and has a lea... more

The eighth day saw crews continue to impose themselves towards the finish with a combined total of nearly 1350nm rowed with a DMG of 1250nm, an average of 42nm per crew. Between them the crews are... more

Day 7 saw the fleet row a total of over 1500nm and made good over 1200nm, an average of over 42nm per crew – by far the best days rowing yet. With the first task of clearing the Canari... more

The Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race 2009 is now a week old, and what a week it has been. With the start delayed almost a month, the support yacht Aurora finally sounded the starting horn at 1330... more

Another great day for the fleet, with nearly 800nm made good – an average of nearly 30nm per crew. At some point today, the fleet will have rowed the equivalent of the race distance be... more

It is with great regret that the first retirement of the Atlantic Rowing Race 09 has been reported. Limited Intelligence, the four man crew from Gloucestershire have officially retired f... more

The last 24 hours has seen the best rowing yet for the fleet, and the race is really opening up into a game of dare. As it stands the crews leading the fleet, Karukera and Vivaldi (Rames Dam... more

Day 4 brought good news to the fleet, the North Westerly winds that have been pushing crews towards Africa have now swung around and are taking the fleet South and South South West, which me... more

With the race now 72 hours old it is clear that the ocean can be a cruel place. Throughout the last day the fleet have travelled a total of 830 nm, but sadly as many of those miles were sout... more

This year’s race has already seen a record broken. In the last 13 years of racing, there has always been a retirement in the first 2 days, but to date no crew has left the race. Perhap... more

After the first 24 hours at sea all crews in this years race are making steady progress towards the finish. There is a surprise leader in the form of Charlie Pitcher rowing JJ. He not on... more

After all the delays and set backs to the race over the last month, the crews for the Atlantic Rowing Race 09 have made it off the start line and are now heading towards Cape Shirley off the south c... more

The start of the Atantic Rowing Race 09 is finally upon us! After all the delays and the anticipation the start is under 4 hours away. The crews are making the final preparations to their boats and ... more

Following a further weather delay, the race start date has now been confirmed as Monday 4th January 2010 at 1330hrs UT. By this time favourable wind speeds and direction will help the fleet off... more

With this extended delay there has been time to get the record books out and see what honours are available for this year’s race. To be recognised as a record a row must be unsupported, that i... more

Following this mornings weather meeting the race will now start on Tuesday 29th December 2009. All competitors must report to the Woodvale Challenge office no later than Sunday 27th December at 2:30... more

News At Last!  Apologies to all supporters of our brilliant teams as we haven't been able to keep you as up to date as we would have liked – but here’s the latest news about wh... more

There are now just 10 days to go until the start of the Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race 09 and all 72 competitors are now in La Gomera. The boat scrutineering is going smoothly - with the majority of boats... more

The countdown is almost over. We now have just 16 days until the start of the race during which time all the boats will be scrutineered and undergo final race adjustments. The Woodvale team are now ... more

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