Rowers regain ‘landlegs’

Press, 12 March 1982, Page 1

Rowers regain ‘landlegs’

Feeling fit and healthy, the brothers who attempted to row round New Zealand yesterday came ashore after abandoning their 78-day voyage, the Press Association reported. Steve Harre (left) and Max Dedekind, pictured ashore at Onehunga Wharf with their boat in the background, were picked up by the Navy survey ship, H.M.N.Z.S. Takapu. While disappointed that they had had to abandon their row, the brothers were happy that they had achieved a lot in coping with the day-to-day difficulties of two men living in a 7m boat, sometimes in bad weather. After initial problems with blistered hands and bad weather, the brothers made good progress and rounded Cape Reinga and

were off the Kaipara coast when they abandoned their voyage. “We probably could have lasted another 30 days,” said Mr Harre. Loneliness was not a problem and the brothers said they got on very well with each other for such a long and, at some stages, frustrating time in such a confined space. The brothers said their boat Kiwi One performed admirably and that they would like to make another attempt at rowing round New Zealand. They said yesterday that their top priorities were a hot shower, a comfortable bed, and a meal in the comforts of a home. The Row Around New Zealand Project, the committee behind the attempt, faces a $20,000 bill for the costs of the voyage.