Fulham man rows out for world record attempt round UK mainland
May 19 2010 By Dan Hodges
A pair of army doctors have launched an ambitious attempt to set a new world record by rowing more than 2,100 miles round the coastline of Great Britain.
Fulham resident Hamish Reid is already more than one week into the gruelling non-stop expedition with friend Nick Dennison, a fellow captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps - but the adventurers have at least another month to go before they complete their circuit of the mainland.
The 28-year-olds are rowing up to 20 hours a day in their 24ft ocean-going rowing boat, Komale, and are depending on ration packs to give them the 8,000 calories each needs every day to have a fighting chance of success.
Satellite tracking has pinpointed them heading round Cornwall before pushing on towards the Bristol Channel and then the Welsh coast.
Speaking before their launch, Hamish (pictured right), who lives with fiancee Jess Lindsay in Stephendale Road, Fulham, said: "The row demands prolonged physical endurance and in order to complete it we will have to achieve an elite level of fitness.
"We have to condition our bodies to deal with fatigue, discomfort and prolonged exertion. Courage, discipline and integrity are fundamental to the success of this challenge."
Their self-righting craft is filled with 1,500 litres of fresh water, which acts as ballast and can be used as emergency drinking water.
If the men complete the mission, which began last Wednesday (12) at Lymington Yacht Haven in Hampshire, they will be the first pair in history to rowed continuously, unsupported, around the British mainland.
The epic journey will be dominated by tide cycles with the officers alternating two hours on and two hours off in open seas, resting together at anchor when the tide is against them.
As well as having to focus on the arduous task at hand, the pair will carry out research into the calorific and nutritional demands of prolonged exertion.
Hamish, who had little experience of rowing before training for the challenge, successfully swam the English Channel in 2008. Nick, who is based Dorset, rowed competitively at university and cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats two years ago.
"The race will put us in situations we have not experienced before," said Hamish, "and we shall need to dig deep into our mental reserves to maintain our efforts, uphold these standards and, in the worst case, survive."
Together the men hope to raise £20,000 for charity through their world record attempt, to be split between the Army Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes. To follow their progress on Twitter click here.
