A HEREFORDSHIRE man celebrates reaching dry land after rowing more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
Martin Heseltine, 62, of Walford near Ross-on-Wye, has spent the past 50 days at sea as part of a vegan crew of four rowing from Lanzarote to Antigua to raise money for the Humen and Chepstow men’s charity to collect sanctuary, the Dean Farm Trust.
Martin and the crew weren’t an adventure to be taken lightly. They rowed non-stop in alternating two-hour shifts, using muscle power alone and without a replacement ship to cover the 3,200-mile distance.
The team has been exposed to storms, sleep deprivation, extreme fatigue, and sometimes huge seas. They also had to deal with injuries when crew member Matt Pritchard, better known as the plant-loving prankster and chef The Dirty Vegan, tore a lateral muscle that forced him to take several days off rowing while Martin struggled with painful tendinitis in his leg .
“There’s not much you can do in the middle of the Atlantic but keep going,” said Martin.
“It is very often a case of thinking about matter, but the teamwork of the crew together is absolutely important.”
Martin, Matt, skipper Billy Taylor and blogger Johnny Ward had to share this space for cooking, eating, sleeping and navigating.
“There’s not even a chance to get up as the movement of the boat makes this impossible. We’re all looking forward to stretching our legs on dry land once we’ve cleared customs and landed,” said Martin.
Martin, a retired ocean sailor, is no stranger to adventure having spent much of his life on the high seas, but this particular challenge has taken the entire crew to extremes, with no toilet in the purpose-built boat that has several individual waterproof hulls have compartments to prevent sinking in the event of a shark attack.
Fortunately, the crew didn’t have to deal with sharks but enjoyed the company of dolphins, flying fish and even an octopus that landed on deck. You can read more about their charity series on Monkeyfistadventures.com
Dean Farm Trust Founder Mary Frankland said, “We are so proud and grateful for Matt, Billy, Martin and Johnny for all of their hard work to raise much-needed funds and awareness for our little sanctuary. Our residents can’t wait to see the boys return to the UK and thank them for their great support. ”
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/atlantic-dash-dean-farm-trust to donate to Atlantic Dash’s fundraiser for Dean Farm Trust