Steve Dawson ready for row of his life

by Courtesy BBC Lincolnshire on 24 May 2005 Imagine gale-force winds, 12 hours of rowing a day, freezing temperatures and thousands of miles of sea ahead of you - Steve Dawson from Boston is ready for the challenge of his life!

Steve and four fellow rowers have flown to St John's in Newfoundland to meet up with their boat Naturally Best, in which they intend to break two world records.

The team will attempt the fastest row across the North Atlantic and to be the first crew in history to row into mainland UK.

They will be looking for a three-day window from May 28 and westerly winds to aid their attempt. If they get this wrong, the wind and tides could push them back towards land.

The team will row on a rotating basis - two hours on and two off - and intend to row at all times to try and beat the world record.

‘It's an extraordinary adventure. We're rowing from Canada to England - say it fast and it's not very far! It's vain-busting and absolutely physically draining.

‘If you do two hours on an ergo in a gym, get off and go and sit downstairs and relax for two hours, the get back on and do two hours.

‘You try and keep that up for the rest of that month and the following month, and that's what it's like,’ says Steve on the demands of the trip.

The crew will consume an enormous amount of calories on the trip, but still expect to lose between 14 and 21 pounds in weight each.

On their off-watch periods they will have vital administrative tasks including cooking, plotting positions, weather updates as well as sleeping.
The crew's only luxuries will be a varied selection of music from pop to classical. They are also taking speeches from charismatic achievers to give them inspiration.

There is a water purifier on board, which converts sea water to fresh at a rate of 23 litres per hour. Each crew member will consume between six and eight litres of water per day.

www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire/sport/atlantic_four_200505.shtml