L to R: Martin Beaumont, Hamish Miller & Guy Dresser
Sometime tomorrow, 40 days after leaving La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Guy Dresser, Hamish Miller & Martin Beaumont of the Team Margot Atlantic Rowers, three dads with an average age of 50+ will arrive in English Harbour in Antigua, having rowed more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s an astonishing feat of human endurance which has seen the guys battle through rough seas, surf huge swells, be entertained by a pod of dolphins & be stalked by a shark that was bigger than their 8.64 metre Atlantic rowing boat, for longer than was comfortable. They have experienced highs and lows and on one occasion mistook the moon at night for an enormous ship bearing down on them. It’s hardly surprising, when you consider the fatigue that can set in, given their non-stop “two hours on, two hours off” rota over the last five and a half weeks.
The rowers have put their money where their mouthes are; their efforts have been self-funded and thanks to the good graces of the C and C Group owned Orchard Pig cider brand, buying the boat was one less thing to worry about, during pre-Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge race preparations, spanning almost two years.
Unusually, the team haven’t sought financial donations for the charity (although they’re gratefully accepted) and have instead rowed under #WeRowYouRegister – because you don’t have to do anything extreme like rowing the Atlantic Ocean, we just want you to register as a stem cell and bone marrow donor.
In La Gomera with Peter McCleave, who has an incurable blood cancer. Peter’s best chance at survival is a stem cell transplant, a procedure that isn’t possible without first finding his donor match
The team have rowed the Atlantic for all those people who urgently need a life-saving stem cell transplant, like former triathlete, Peter McCleave, who might himself have been on the team, were it not for his blood cancer.
Whilst their Atlantic row will finally come to an end tomorrow, we don’t want to forget all the blood cancer patients, like a Peter, who continue to seek a matching donor and a second chance at life.
Waiting for the team to arrive – L to R: Kate Dresser, Emily Dresser, Kate Miller, Emma McPhie, Vicki Martini (Margot’s mum) & Vicky Singlehurst
To find out more about Peter & the Team Margot Atlantic Rowers and to start the registration process, please visit: WeRowYouRegister.org
Keep an eye on the Atlantic Campaigns Facebook page for their ETA and watch them arrive in Antigua on Facebook LIVE tomorrow: https://m.facebook.com/atlanticcampaigns/
Can’t help but feel so proud of the guys. COME HOME SAFELY TEAM MARGOT !!
Thank you for your support.
Team Margot Atlantic Rowers
Pulling Together Saving Lives
Husband to Vicki and father to Oscar (2007), Rufus (2008), Digby (2015), Humphrey (2017) & Margot (2012-2014)
Team Margot’s mission
To help save and improve lives by educating, inspiring and motivating people, especially from ethnically diverse communities, to register as blood, organ and stem cell donors.