Rowers eye ‘mad seas’
NZPA-Reuter Santiago Four Americans moved into position yesterday at the tip of South America in their bid to be the first people to row across the Beagle Channel to the Antarctic. The Channel, described by Sir Francis Drake in 1578 as “the most mad seas,” is one of the world’s roughest and most dangerous stretches of water.
Ned Gillette, Jon Turk, Bud Keene and Mark
Eickenberger plan to tackle the 1152 km voyage across Drake’s passage in a specially designed 8.2metre aluminium boat. The boat and its rowers were towed out of the southern Chilean port of Punta Arenas on Sunday towards the mouth of the Beagle Channel, where the team plans to wait for favourable weather to start the trip. The team leader, Mr Gillette, aged 41, a journalist, said in a recent
interview that the crossing was expected to take about three weeks.
They face seas that can swell to over 15m high, and freezing water temperatures which cut survival times outside the boat, he said.
Despite the difficulties, Mr Gillette expressed confidence.
“It is the strongest rowing boat ever built ... if we can be as tough as the boat, we’ll make it,” he said.
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Press, 6 January 1987, Page 8
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201Rowers eye ‘mad seas’ Press, 6 January 1987, Page 8
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