World record for young ocean rower
AN adventurous 23-year-old man from north Suffolk has set a new world record with a 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean.
Adam Wolley was part of a four-man crew that set out from the Canary Islands on December 4 for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2011.
Forty-one days, 23 hours and 34 minutes later, the quartet arrived at the finishing line in Barbados - taking third place in the race, but becoming the youngest four-man rowing crew to ever cross an ocean.
Speaking from Barbados, Mr Wolley said: “It’s a fantastic record. You suffer all sorts of aches, but it’s remarkable what the body can do when the mind gets round it.
“We were aided by some good winds and had a quick boat, even though it weighed about 1.6 tons at the start.
“But, after eating our food, it weighed less than a ton at the end, and I had lost 16kg.”
Mr Wolley, from Saxtead, was joined in the 29-foot-long custom-built boat by Greg Symondson, 22, from Buckinghamshire, and twins Ross and Hugo Turner, 23, from Exeter.
They met while studying at Loughbrough University.
By completing the challenge, which saw them rowing for 24 hours a day, taking it in turns, the team raised £250,000 for Spinal Research - chosen as Hugo broke his neck at the age of 17, facing the prospect of never walking again.
To donate, go to www.theatlantic4.com
Mr Wolley, who went to Brandeston Hall School and discovered an interest in rowing in his early teens, is also a keen cyclist, and completed a 10,000-mile cycle ride from the UK to Africa in 2010 to raise money for the Malaria Consortium.
He now plans to find a job.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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