Jon Wilburn, a member of the ‘Lessons From A Boat’ ocean rowing team – Jason, Dan, Steve and Jon, recently rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in the ‘World’s Toughest Row’ to raise money for Diabetes UK, Final Straw Foundation and Cancer Research UK.
Jon and Steve, both teachers, have been using the opportunity to teach ‘real’ lessons and encourage young people to ‘get out of their comfort zone’. Dan, a successful business leader from Cornwall, is passionate about sharing his lessons, in collaboration with Plymouth University, on the environment. Jason, meanwhile, as a medical professional is looking to share important messages on health and, in particular, the use of some clever technology to support better diet and wellbeing.
AAS: You have been based in Chichester Harbour, courtesy of Premier Marinas, allowing you to train in the Solent. How much did that help preparations?
JW: Our time in the Chichester Harbour Premier Marinas was fundamental to the success of our preparations and on the water training. The team at the marina could not have been more supportive and nothing was too much trouble. The marina gave us instant access to the harbour and acted as a springboard to the Solent and South Coast just beyond. The busy marina in this gorgeous harbour meant we also had a constant flow of ‘passers-by’ who were so interested and enthusiastic!
AAS: You used the race as an opportunity to teach others and share important messages about, for example, health, but you also had to take lessons yourselves to prepare i.e Survival at Sea. Tell us more about your pre-race training and the lessons and messages you have shared during the row.
JW: Our pre-race lessons and training were wide and varied as we prepared to take on what is regarded as one of the toughest endurance races out there! We spent over 150 hours on the water getting used to the boat and simply how to ‘live’ onboard. The culmination was a row to Weymouth Harbour and back from Chichester Harbour. NOTHING, however, really prepared us for what we would face as we got stuck into the race itself. On-the-water training was complemented by all the survival, VHF and navigation work. We also did specific training on areas like our watermaker.
We enjoyed engaging with young people at schools, clubs and societies in our journey, exploring topics such as ‘getting out of your comfort zone’, developing resilience and key employability skills. During the race itself we delivered a range of world’s first ‘live lessons’ from the mid-Atlantic. We had primary children doing creative writing, hosted a gripping Q&A with an A-Level Geography class and connected to many secondary schools via the Royal Academy of Engineering.
AAS: Tell us about your Rannoch 45 ocean rowing boat and any special tech you had onboard?
JW: We can truly testify that our Rannoch 45 really did live up to its reputation as a thoroughbred of ocean rowing. We faced some big, and at times very confused, sea states and the clever hull design always managed to keep us safe. Even when fully swamped by a breaking wave crest the hull just drains and gets on with it!
AAS: Lessons From A Boat will have rowed more than 1.5 million oar strokes and consumed in excess of 1 million calories. What did you eat while crossing the Atlantic and what was day-to-day life like onboard?
JW: Day-to-day life was relentless and in many ways the rowing was the easier bit! Washing, eating, sleeping and ‘problem solving’ in 30 foot seas (including beam seas) is a real test that the ocean rower must face with patience and resolve. We ate freeze dried foods, but our snack pack treats like M&Ms and chocolate bars were vital for energy and morale! Steve’s wife, Rachael, sent us off with our body weight in Christmas cake which became our elixir of life until it ran out in early January.
AAS: What were the biggest challenges and best memories from the row?
JW: The big challenge was getting our New Year’s Eve champagne cold! Jokes apart, living in such an inhospitable environment was a huge challenge and keeping strong mentally even when conditions were not in our favour. Highlights included: live lessons; team camaraderie and wildlife sightings (porpoise, marlin, storm petrels). The sight of the media boat at the finish does also rank high.
AAS: The row took you over 2700nm from the Canary Islands to Antigua. You finished on 24 January after 44 days; how did you celebrate when you arrived in Antigua?
JW: The celebrations were overwhelming! The noise of all the boat horns and cheers was incredible. After many hugs with family we enjoyed a cold beer and a burger, heavenly! After that, the sheer joy of a shower and normal toilet is hard to put into words.
AAS: Are you looking for a new challenge now…
JW: We all agreed three pledges for our future including dancing classes for Jon and Steve with respective wives!
AAS: As well as raising money for three charities, Diabetes UK, Final Straw Foundation and Cancer Research UK, the team are trying to ‘Innovate, Understand and Inspire’. Can you tell our readers more about this?
JW: The root of this is via our lessons and talks and we are already booked into many clubs and schools where we hope to inspire others to get the most from life. Our partnership with Lingo is supporting innovative work in understanding glucose management and we look forward to providing feedback to Plymouth University on our plastic waste observations.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
To Donate: lessonsfromaboat.com/donate
lessonsfromaboat.com
www.worldstoughestrow.com
Diabetes UK: www.diabetes.org.uk
Final Straw Foundation: finalstrawfoundation.org
Cancer Research UK: www.cancerresearchuk.org
