The prospect of a hot cuppa is helping to motivate a rowing duo who are close to completing their 2,400 epic Pacific row in aid of Blind Veterans UK and The Royal Marines Charity.
Former Royal Marine, Steve Sparkes, 57, from South Brent, is set to become the first ever blind man to row the Pacific when he crosses the finish line next week, along with team mate Mick Dawson, 54, from Brighton.
This week, the pair sent a message via satellite phone to the project team eagerly awaiting their return at the finish line in Hawaii. They said:
“We’re almost there! What an amazing few months it’s been, lots of highs, lots of lows, but we are so close to finishing. Despite a number of injuries and broken oars, we are feeling really good about the challenge and are incredibly pleased to have come this far and raising so much money for two deserving charities.??As always we would like to thank all those who have supported us financially on this project, especially our many sponsors, including title sponsors Dragon Inc who have been very generous in their support. We look forward to thanking everyone personally when we arrive in Hawaii at the weekend.??”The tracker is showing an arrival of August 26, but despite having plenty of teabags, our gas is running low so the lure of warm tea on tap may just be enough to speed us up as we head toward the finish line!”
The pair which call itself Team Cockleshell Pacific, set off from Monterey in California on Wednesday, June 6 as part of the Great Pacific Race, dubbed the World’s Ultimate Endurance Challenge. Their aim was to row non-stop to Hawaii. While the direct route is 2,400 miles, weather conditions and changing currents means they will actually row closer to 3,000 miles. When Steve crosses the finish line, he will enter the record books as the first blind person ever to successfully row the Pacific.
The duo will have been rowing non-stop for around 80 days on board a 21.5 foot long carbon fibre ocean rowing boat called Bojangles. They carried all of their supplies with them, including food and equipment for turning sea water into drinking water.? ?Steve is partnered with one of the world’s most experienced ocean rowers, fellow former Royal Marine Mick Dawson. Throughout the challenge they have been taking it in turn to row the boat in a pattern of two hours rowing, two hours resting. When they cross the finish line they will have been rowing non-stop for approximately 80 days. ? ?It has not been an easy row. They have faced incredibly rough seas and wet and cold weather, causing them to breaking two sets of oars. This left them to row with the shortest pair of oars, which they described as “rowing to Hawaii in first gear”. Due to his lack of vision, Steve slipped on the deck of the boat and injured his face and head. He also suffered a knee injury and a suspected shoulder fracture which has impacted the length of time needed to complete the race.? ?Steve’s blindness is due to a rare form of macular degeneration known as Stargardts. He has lost his sight completely apart from some peripheral vision of shapes and colours. Support from Blind Veterans UK to come to terns with his blindness was partially responsible for inspiring him to complete the row in aid of the charity.??Steve and Mick are also raising funds for The Royal Marines Charity, a charity which supports former and current Royal Marines and their families. So far, they have raised £10000 for the charities, but would like to raise more.?If you would like to donate visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for Cockleshell Pacific or visit www.cockleshell-pacific.com
You can monitor Steve and Mick’s progress by visiting the team’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/cockleshellpacific or the official race website, http://greatpacificrace.com/? ?If you would like to send messages of encouragement and support you can do so via their satellite phone. Visit https://messaging.iridium.com/ and use the telephone number 881623435461.??