Shropshire Star

Shropshire rower aims to set transatlantic world record for charity

It will be a month of pain, strain and water for a Shropshire man bidding to row across the Atlantic Ocean in 31 days.

Published

Steve Harpin, 47, from Shrewsbury, will take to the water in a 300kg ocean boat, on November 1, setting of from the Spanish island of Gran Canaria and hopes to arrive at Port St Charles in Barbados – 3,000 miles away – a world record-breaking 31 days later.

But it is not just about breaking the record – the team is also bidding to raise money for the Bickerstaff Endoscopy Unit at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

The unit saved Mr Harpin's trainer Jim Mostyn's life when it discovered bowel cancer in its early stages during a screening two years ago. He had an operation and survived and has been training Mr Harpin for the last 10 months.

Mr Harpin, a member of Shrewsbury-based Shropshire Adventure Rowing Club, said he rowed across the Irish sea a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much he made it his aim to cross the Atlantic.

He said: "I thought it was a wonderful challenge and if I did not do it now at my age, I will never do it.

"I said to Jim train me for the crossing so for the last 10 months Jim has been training me whispering 'find the pain' in my ear.

"Jim's life was saved by the unit when they found a tumour two years ago so it seemed appropriate that to raise the money for them, without Jim's help I would not be ready to row across the Atlantic."

The eight crew members, which also includes Simon Chalk of Loggerheads who has rowed the Atlantic six times, will each row 12 hours a day. Four will row for two hours at the same time, while the other four rest.

Incredibly, the crews sleeping quarters are in cabins underneath the rowers and will act as the ballast that will turn the ship the right way up if it capsizes.

Mr Mostyn said: "I am very interested to see how he physically copes with the change because that is what we have been training for."

Father-of-four Mr Harpin, who runs his own business Choice Shops in Telford, said he was "ready for the challenge".

Dr Gill Townson, consultant gastroenterologist at the Bickerstaff Endoscopy Unit, said she was grateful for the donation and also hoped it would raise awareness of the cancer screening programme.

  • To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Harpin

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.