Shropshire Star

Shropshire Atlantic rower ready for the off

A Shropshire rower was finally set to leave Gran Canaria today to travel 3,000 miles to Barbados in the hope of breaking a world record.

Published

An eight-strong tram will be rowing the Toby Wallace boat, each taking on 12 hours a day.

On board is 47-year-old Steve Harpin from Shrewsbury who, along with the rest of the crew, is hoping to beat the 32-day record.

Mr Harpin is using the challenge to raise money for the Bickerstaff Endoscopy Unit at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

The group was initially delayed for a fortnight because of bad weather but faced another 24-hour delay yesterday (SUN) when 100 sailing boats set off in their own race.

For safety reasons, the Atlantic challenge was postponed until 10.30am this morning.

Also on board is Simon Chalk, of Loggerheads, who has rowed the Atlantic six times.

Another team, Oystershack, will also be hoping to grab the title.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.