Mike Burton sets off from Gran Canaria
Managing director of AB Graphic International, Mike Burton, hopes to raise in excess of £30,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support during a solo row of the Atlantic this year.
On 10 January 2017, Mr Burton set off from Puerto Rico Marina, Gran Canaria on a projected three-month solo journey to his destination in Antigua, 3000 miles away.
He intends to row two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours per day, seven days a week until arriving into English harbour. This will vary depending on sea state and the prevailing wind and weather, and due to this he spent his first 30 hours rowing non-stop.
‘Having rowed a pairs boat with my good friend Tom Salt in the Talisker Atlantic Ocean Race in 2013/14 [the duo won by seven days], I decided, in a moment of madness, to attempt an unsupported solo row of the Atlantic,’ explained Mr Burton.
‘At the time the challenge didn’t appear too daunting,’ said Mr Burton last month at ABG’s headquarters in Bridlington. ‘But as the departure date draws closer, the realisation of rowing solo and not part of the Atlantic Challenge race is slowly but surely sinking in.’
Mr Burton’s home for the next three months is Storm Petrel: a six-metre-long, 1.8-metre-wide boat constructed of glass fibre and Kevlar, self-righting in the event of a capsize, with a sea anchor to stop her being blown backwards in adverse conditions.
To follow Mike’s journey via a live tracker/daily blogs and to donate to Macmillan, visit http://www.sprata.org/.
