Lone Soldier Rows Across Atlantic

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 6

Lone Soldier Rows Across Atlantic

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LONDON, July 28.

A British soldier, Trooper Tom McClean, landed on the west coast of Northern Ireland early yesterday, 72 days after leaving St John’s, Newfoundland to row the Atlantic in his 20ft Yorkshire dory, Super Silver, “The Tinies” reported. Trooper McClean, aged 26, who serves with the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, came ashore near Blacksod Bay, County Mayo. Three years ago two other members of the S.A.S., Captain J. Ridgway and Sergeant C. Blyth, rowed from Cape Cod to Ireland in 91 days. Nine days ago another lone rower, Mr John Fairfax, arrived in Florida six months after starting from the Canary Islands. An inexperienced oarsman before his Atlantic crossing, Trooper McClean left St John’s on May 17 and estimated that his voyage would take 80 days. The major part of his rations was curry, for which he acquired a taste while serving in Malaysia. He had planned for two years to become the first solo oarsman to cross the Atlantic.

Yesterday the solo rower slipped quietly on to a sandy beach near Blacksod Bay, and told the lighthouse keeper, Mr Patrick Sweeney, that he had just rowed the Atlantic alone.

Trooper McClean, who was exhausted, said that he had run aground on rocks in the bay, but had managed to refloat his boat.

i He said: “I am very tired : and very excited. My worst moments were, funnily

enough, last night, when 1 was within a few hundred yards of land. My boat ran on to rocks, and I was in desperate trouble. At one point I thought I was going to drown. “After a long struggle I pushed the boat clear, and managed to get ashore.”

He had another desperate experience on July 17, when he was about 250 miles from land.

“I awoke about 2 a.m. in a strong wind, and found my boat full of water,” he said. “It was only being held up by the buoyancy tanks. My sea anchor had broken and was fouled up in ropes. One side of the boat was under water, and I was swamped. After hours I eventually got the boat free of water."

Trooper McClean said that he had not been sick, and had had little physical trouble, apart from salt sores. “I had stormy weather all the way, but the winds were blowing towards Ireland,” he said. A senior officer at the S.A.S. depot at Hereford, where Trooper McClean is stationed, said yesterday, “It was a damn good achievement. “It was a completely solo effort. All the regiment has done is to give him its blessing and paid leave to make the voyage.”

Investigation Declined. The Ombudsman (Sir Guy Powles) had informed the Constitutional Society that he would be unable, because of statutory limitation, to investigate the society’s complaint about the activities of the Department of Health, Mr A. iF. Manning, chief executive officer of the society, said in Wellington.—(P.A.) - (P.A.)