Atlantic Rowing Race 2005 - official event website
On 30th November 2005, 26 boats crossed the start line off La Gomera in the Canary Islands. They included 2 solo rowers, 20 doubles and 4 fours, and they raced a minimum of 2,931 nautical miles to the finishing line off Antigua. This route takes advantage of the predominant southwesterly ocean currents and favourable prevailing winds and was timed to avoid the hurricane season. In addition to the physical demands, crews experienced a variety of challenges that only nature and the open sea can produce.

How did it all begin?
In 1966 Chay Blyth and John Ridgway were the first pair to row across the Atlantic in the twentieth century, crossing from Cape Cod to Ireland in a time of 92 days. Over three decades later, in 1997, Sir Chay Blyth organised the first trans-Atlantic rowing race. There have been two further races in 2001 and 2003 and the Making Waves team competed in the fourth Atlantic Rowing Race in 2005.

Female crews
The first successful all female crew raced in the 2001 Atlantic Rowing Challenge. This was the New Zealand team of Steph Brown and Jude Ellis. They put in an impressive performance, finishing fourth overall in a time of 50 days and 7 hours. Their time is the current all-female record for the crossing. More generally, there are only 28 women who have ever rowed across an ocean.

History and records (More...)

1966 - Blyth and Ridgway become the first people to row across the Atlantic in the 20th century.
1971 - Sylvia Cook rows across the Pacific to become the first woman to cross an ocean.
1997 - First Atlantic Rowing race, won by the New Zealand pairing of Rob Hamill & Phil Stubbs in a time of 41 days and 3 hours.
2001 - race won by Steve Westlake & Matt Goodman in 42 days and 2 hours, with the fastest all female team (Steph Brown & Jude Ellis) finishing in 50 days and 7 hours.
2003 - race won by Kevin Biggar & James Fitzgerald in an event record of 40 days and 5½ hours.
2005 - race won by All Relative - a British team of four - in 39 days, 4 hours. Mission Atlantic - a female crew of four completed the race in 67 days and 7 hours.