First Ever London2Paris Rowing Race Starts on May 2nd
A unique Rowing Race from London2Paris starts from Westminster Bridge this Friday May 2nd at 11.00. It runs down the Thames and around the coast to Dover from where it crosses the Channel and up the Seine to finish at the Eiffel Tower: a distance of 417 nautical miles.
The race, for teams of 10 people, will take place in matched Thames Waterman's Cutters and is being run over a series of timed stages on a points system thus providing a winner for each stage and a cumulative time for each boat and hence an overall winner: it is expected that the race could last up to 7 days. The fastest team from London to Paris will be awarded the CNA Trophy while the points winner will receive the Pedro Boatd UK / Seacraft Trophy.
There are two courageous "mixed" teams entered in this first race, in what is set to be one of the most gruelling rowing races ever run: "Le Figarow", which is a Thames based crew from Teddington in Middlesex and "Langstone Cutters" based on Chichester Harbour in Hampshire.
The Race is the "brainchild" of adventurer Jock Wishart, who has previously rowed the Atlantic, has considerable expertise in running events of this nature and organises the well known biennial Polar Race to the Magnetic North Pole. The other principal members of the organising team are Malcolm Knight, the current World record holder for rowing the length of the Thames and Gary Walker, a member of the crew that currently holds the Round the World Powered record. All of them were members of the team that broke the record for rowing from London to Paris in 1999, so the organisers have considerable expertise. Mike Oram from Ramsgate with over 450 successful Channel crossings to his name is providing the very necessary Safety and Support Boats.
Jock Wishart said:
"With well over a 100 rowers having now rowed an ocean in the last 10 years and a growing public interest in participating in extreme endurance races we felt that there was a demand for an extreme rowing event that did not take up quite the amount of time as rowing an ocean and which was cheaper for individuals to participate in. We look forward to the start of the Race and what should be an intense battle between two very evenly matched crews."
For further information on the event please see www.london2parisrowing.com
or ring Jock Wishart on 07711 727 298 or email jock@london2parisrowing.com