‘There was genuine concern we would capsize’: Wick rowers share the highs and lows of their round-Britain journey so far
A dynamic duo from Wick who are on a self-supported rowing journey around Britain have been blown away by the backing they have received from people in Caithness and around the country.
Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross – known as Stormy and Steth – have raised more than £26,000 so far for the RNLI and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
They set off from Wick harbour on June 1 in their seven-metre-long vessel named Boudicea, and had initially hoped to complete the journey within 60 days, with a fundraising target of £30,000.
The trip is an attempt at setting a new world record as the first mixed pairs team to circumnavigate Great Britain by rowing boat. The attempt means they are not allowed to touch land or accept provisions throughout their journey.
Allan is full-time coxswain with the RNLI on the Wick lifeboat while Mhairi is a paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service and a volunteer navigator on the Wick lifeboat.
On Monday, the pair were anchored off Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland, waiting for weather and tide conditions to allow them to continue safely.
While they had some downtime, they answered some questions from the Caithness Courier…
You've made great progress. How has the journey been so far?
We have now made it across the Irish Sea to Ireland, it was a challenging crossing fighting the tides that were pushing us north and south.
St George’s Channel definitely provided us with our biggest challenge yet, mentally and physically. It does, however, feel great to know that we have under 500 miles left to complete the long row home.
How have you both managed to keep yourselves and each other motivated?
I think we are both naturally motivated to keep going and the times where we have wanted to stop have quickly passed. On a good day there is nowhere better to be than out on the sea.
But when times get tough it is actually the thoughts of everyone that is supporting us that keeps both of us going, as we don’t want to let anyone down.
Have you had any special wildlife encounters along the way?
We have had some amazing wildlife encounters on the way, including dolphin and whale sightings. This has included several occasions where dolphins have been in such close proximity to Boudicea that it feels like we could have reached out and touched them.
When they have been swimming under the boat and oar, I have been scared that I was going to accidentally strike one with an oar it was so close. The rarest sighting that we have seen has been a sun fish on two occasions.
What about encounters with local people - I see some have been paddling or even swimming out to you to say 'hello'!
The people that drop by to say hello are welcome guests. People are naturally inquisitive when we row in and it is great to share our story, tell them about our charities and make sure they know exactly where Wick is.
We have been offered many amazing treats along the way and it has been hard to say ‘no, thank you’ at times – but we have been good and politely declined each time.
Related articles:
• ‘Rollercoaster of emotions’ as Wick’s round-Britain rowers pass halfway point
• Fundraising total over £12,000 in first week of Wick couple’s round-Britain bid
• PICTURES: Rousing send-off as Wick rowers set off on unsupported round-Britain trip
• There’s a huge journey ahead of us: Wick round-Britain rowers praise ‘phenomenal’ support
Have there been any dramas or (hopefully not) disasters during the journey so far?
No drama or disasters as such, but there have been a few moments when it has felt unsettling due to big seas beam-on.
One moment in particular that sticks out is when we were fighting wind, tide and sea state to get into shelter behind Holy Island.
There was a genuine concern we would capsize and be washed up onto the beach. After a short period at anchor and a lull in the weather we made it safely.
What is the most daunting part of what remains of your journey? And are you on track to complete the journey in your timeframe?
Due to bad weather delays, we are way behind schedule as we had hoped to complete in 60 days, but as we are now on day 62 that time has been and gone.
We still hope to complete in the three months we had allowed as contingency. Here’s hoping for some good weather going forward.
The most challenging part of the journey left is probably getting round Cape Wrath and safely through the Pentland Firth.
Finally, do you have any messages for the people of Wick and Caithness – and others further afield – who have shown great support for your fundraising challenge?
We are blown away with the support, the people following our journey and supporting us is a massive boost and we can’t thank everyone enough for getting behind us.
The generosity is clear in the amount of good wishes we receive daily and the money donated so far. It is the support that makes the hard work worthwhile.
It is safe to say we never ever imagined to have so many joining us on this journey.
• Follow their progress at: https://www.thelongrowhome.co.uk/keep-track/
• Donate to the charities at: https://justgiving.com/team/stormyandsteth
• Follow Stormy and Steth’s updates on Facebook.
