| Breaking
News |
| 14th
August - Scotland |
| |
| Location: |
West
of John O'Groats, Scotland |
Time: |
3.40pm
(GMT) |
| Weather: |
Fair |
Team
Member: |
All
the Team: Nige, Mick, Charlie, Andy & Bear. |
| Report: |
|
| Nige:
The sight of the Scottish mountains emerging from the sea was
something I had been looking forward to for over two years. In
reality, it was rather a sad feeling as the last of around 3,050
miles passed under the boat. Soon she would be lifted onto the
back of a lorry for her journey down to London. We were quite
fortunate with the last leg from Iceland to the mainland via the
Faroe Islands where we stopped for the final refuel, as the weather
had been perfect. Following winds and clear skies had ensured
that we enjoyed the conditions we had been looking for three weeks.
The boat just seemed to cut through the final waves in sharp contrast
to several nights ago where we all genuinely felt in fear of our
lives 300 miles off land between Greenland and Iceland. |
| The
first night on dry land was a bit weird with me waking up wondering
where the hell I was and why couldn’t I hear the reassuring
drone of the Caterpillar diesel engine inches from my ear. |
| Looking
back on the trip, I am very pleased to have been part of the first
team to undertake a high latitude crossing of the Atlantic without
the assistance of any support vessels although I would have gladly
swapped my position many times during the crossing. We have met
some extremely generous and kind people in Halifax, Labrador,
Greenland and Iceland and I just hope I have some photos to remember
it by. Life in the office on Monday will seem a bit strange. |
|
| Mick:
At five o’clock on Thursday morning, the Faroe Islands are
disappearing below the horizon, the sun is rising and we have
ten more hours before we are back on dry land and safe. The rest
of the crew is asleep and I have an hour on watch to myself to
enjoy the spectacular view, relish the moment and reflect on what
we have completed in the last two weeks. |
| Three
weeks ago I was sat behind my London desk and so much has happened
since then. The excitement of leaving Halifax, the terror and
fear of being caught out in the horrendous weather in the Labrador
Sea, the beautiful stillness of the sea leaving Greenland and
of course the joy and relief to be back in the UK. |
| Will
I miss anything about being back at dry land? Yes, the team. It
is an amazing feeling and a privilege to have been at sea with
Bear, Nige, Andy and Charlie. There is no greater feeling than
being in a small tightly knitted team of men fighting through
adversity to achieve a goal. It is a fantastic experience that
I have been lucky enough to experience a few times in my life
when battling adversity in the army or on various expeditions.
It is this feeling that has brought me out of “expedition
retirement” for this expedition. |
| When
you are together as a team 300 miles from land, battling fierce
seas, fearful for your life, that is when you understand the true
value of life and know what it feels like to be truly alive. Now
back in the UK I hold these thoughts and return to the routine
of London life. |
|
|
Charlie:
Home turf in just two weeks, the rollercoaster is over. Imagine
parking a convertible people carrier in a car wash and living
in it with 5 men in Mr. Blobby outfits, during an earthquake.
As a team we have travelled in such close proximity without an
ill word or feeling except for the occasional seasickness. With
three thousand miles behind us and a job well done, two years
of planning has come to a successful conclusion. |
| Personally
it has been a challenge of the like I have never set myself and
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to test my resilience
to such a level. On immediate reflection it has been nothing but
a positive experience albeit with testing times. I had always
hoped to cross the Atlantic and see something of the arctic, but
never anticipated doing both at the same time in an open inflatable
open boat. Open, I think is the operative word for this expedition
bare faced to the elements, hostile ones that burn your face. |
| Asked
if I would turn around for the return leg, I might pause, smile
and reply, “I’ve got the T-shirt!” |
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