Crieff rower set to cross Atlantic

Jun 30 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

SOLO Atlantic rower John Mollison is off and running.

While the official start of his bold Atlantic crossing bid is scheduled for a weekend departure from Cape Cod, the gung-ho Perth property manager has taken to the water off Long Island for demanding sea trials.

The “Shepherd Purple Heart Ocean Row” adventurer, who lost a leg in the Falklands War, is raising cash for the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association, which runs a residential home in Crieff.

John (49) had been forced to delay extended trials off his Shelter Island base by unseasonal weather patterns hitting the US eastern seaboard.

But given his strong military bonds, he was determined to get going before the weekend Armed Forces Day celebrations throughout Britain.

He ran into a vicious storm within 24 hours of edging his 30-foot craft into the water in the wee small hours of the morning, hoping to take advantage of potentially favourable local tidal patterns.

One-time commando John, who has been backed by surveyors J. and E. Shepherd and various Big County businesses, admits it’s been a tough start. And he wouldn’t have it any other way!

Speaking by satellite phone from the Rhode Island Sound, he said: “It has been a tough few days and I haven’t grabbed much sleep. But it has been fantastic in terms of testing myself and the kit on board in foul conditions.

“I’d been warned the storm was coming my way but it was the ideal chance to iron out any faults here rather than in the middle of the Atlantic.

“The currents off Shelter Island were against me and I wasn’t making much headway at first. Even getting out of the estuary was a challenge. The sea anchor was in and out of the water 10 times. It was hard going at that stage.

“But it was good to get through the storm and see how the kit stood up to it. I’ve had some solar power issues and communications problems and that will be sorted out before I leave.

“But this was always the plan and now boat designer Roy Finlay has joined me and we’re rowing to Buzzard’s Bay and making good progress. Rhode Island Sound is hectic and ferries are going by as we speak.

“Right now I’m hoping to start the official record bid from Plymouth this weekend. The weather experts are telling me we should be good to go.

“I’ve been in the States since the middle of May working on the boat. The preparations have had to be spot on. But it’s fantastic to get out on the water and get a taste of what lies ahead.”

* John’s progress can be followed on the Marinetrack device on the commando-joe.com website created by John Roy at Broxden.