GBOWR confirmation

News hot off the press - the official confirmation is through:


We are pleased to confirm that you have achieved the Guinness World Record for the First team of two to row around British mainland and congratulate you on your achievement.

"Captains Hamish Reid and Nick Dennison (both UK) were the first two-man team to row unsupported around mainland Britain, completing the 2,100-mile (3,380-km) journey after an uninterrupted 50 days and 5 hours at sea. On board their 24-ft (7.3-m) vessel Komale, the two men crossed the finish line on the Solent, Lymington, UK, at 15:02 on 1 July 2010."

Dry Land

On Thursday 1st of July, after 50 days at sea Hamish and Nick crossed the finish line of their epic adventure around Great Britain. A huge crowd of supporters turned out to cheer them over the line out in the Solent and then witness their first (very wobbly) steps back on dry land at the marina. Entertainment was provided by Pepper (Hamish's Parent's young dog) who fell off the pontoon into the water in the middle of a television interview while Ollie (Nick's brother) did an outstanding job in releasing an entire bottle of champagne into the boys eyes!

Once the boys have settled back into life they will give a much more detailed account of things I am sure but I just wanted to let you all know the challenge is over, you can all stop checking the tracker every few hours! A massive thank you for all the support and donations - the boys have been truly spoilt by you all while at sea. If you haven't donated yet, please give what you can right now by going ot the donate section. as a special offer every donation over 10 pound will entitle you to a lock of Hamish's ginger facial hair!

Keep an eye on the Gallery where new images and video footage will be added soon.

Much love to all your amazing people.

Jess

Norfolk Coast

A very quick note to mark another milestone – Hamish and Nick can once more see Land! The pair reached Norfolk yesterday evening and are now chugging along at a great speed heading homewards! Obviously they don’t want to count there chickens before they hatch but if conditions remain the same and no surprise storms crop up there is a chance that this time next week they may be crossing (or not far off) the finish line.

The boys are also back in mobile reception so I was able to speak to them last night and they both sounded good. They are both starting to think about the food they want to eat first on arrival back to civilization…I can only imagine that after 6+ weeks of freeze dried rations fresh fruit and veggies will seem the biggest luxury in the world for the pair.

The next obstacle will be the Thames Estuary followed by some ship spotting as they pass Dover – all of this will hopefully happen over the weekend so keep an eye on the tracker and keep your support rolling in. For a much more cheerful update from the boys listen to their latest Phlog (posted on the homepage). And for all those who are around please keep the evening of the 9th of July free for a celebration at the Thames Rowing Club in Putney to welcome Hamish and Nick home and hear some stories of their adventure- more info on that to come, obviously we need to get the boys home first!!

Cheers, Jess

The boys have tested the boat self-rights...

On Sunday the boys sent a text message from the sat phone reading "TOUGH TIMES BUT KOMALE AND CREW FINE".

On Monday we learnt the full extent of what these 'tough times' involved. Capsizing! Not once, not twice, but THREE times as well as breaking their first oar. I wont go into the full details of the weekend as its expressed so much better by Hamish in the phone blog so check that out (go to link; here)

I can't get through a blog (unfortunately) without mentioning the wind - true to form the wind has again changed direction for the worst and started to blow southerly at the boys, making their progress really slow and occasionally taking them backwards. Sadly this is out of all our control but if you do happen to know any weather Gods please try and arrange some Southerlies...bottle of wine for the first person to bring back the Northerlies.

The guys have been feeling pretty low these last few days, a week ago all looked on track for a quick descent of the south coast so the change in weather and fright of capsizing the boat appears to have taken its toll on them both. Please keep your messages of support coming through so we can cheer them up and get them home! This will have the double advantage of allowing some of you to get back to work and stop checking the tracker every 45minutes!! (For those of you who don't know - and this has come as a revelation to some people- the tracker only updates every 2 hours at 12,2,4,6,8,10)

As always thanks for your support, I see in the news the UK has now lost 300 troops in Afghanistan - your support for Nick and Hamish goes directly to the service men, woman and families who are effected by these losses...please give what you can.

Thank you all for being wonderful :) Jess

Row for Heroes boys have re-entered English waters!

A decision was made last week to take advantage of the strong northerly winds forecast by heading out to sea. Unfortunately this hasn't completely paid off as the winds have been so strong the guys have been unable to row in them!

Communications with the guys has been very limited as they are out of mobile service but from the Text messages we have received from the Satellite Phone it sounds like its been pretty rough conditions that have really tested the nerves. The boys battened down the hatches and actually drifted 25 miles (in the right direction!!) yesterday so that was a bonus but it doesn't sound like its been comfortable. They are aiming for Norfolk and hoping to reach this landmark by Tuesday when Southerlies are forecast. Again the guys have found themselves at the mercy of the wind Gods who really don't seem to be on their side for this challenge!

Thankfully it sounds like the guys have managed to avoid being sea sick while in the rough seas but Hamish admitted he was feeling a little green yesterday. Morale is high and they are going to keep plugging south.

If anyone wants to send them a message to their satellite phone please email it to me at rowforheroes@gmail.com and I will send it on (please keep it under 160 characters). Fingers crossed for more northerlies soon.

Jess

Cape Wrath - John o'Groats - Heading South!!

Just a quick update.

Yesterday (Monday 14th of June) the boys ticked off another major milestone - Rounding John O Groats - the northerly end of the longest distance between two points in Mainland Britain (the other point being Lands End). Needless to say Nick and Hamish are on a high to be coming down the home straight, but still very aware that there is approx 600 miles to go!

Scotland has proven to be a highlight for the guys who have been sending through some beautiful photos of the sunsets and scenery. I think the idylic surroundings may have even given them a small chance to 'escape' the reality of the daily grind and appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. Hamish continues to struggle with growing facial hair and eating the dehydtated meat, while Nick is basking in his full bearded glory. Sadly there seems to be little 'drama' to report, the guys are getting on well and focused on getting the job done - real proof of how thorough preparation makes all the difference in such a challenge.

The guys are hoping the nasty Northerly winds that have been causing them such trouble all the way up the West Coast will stick around for a few weeks longer and help speed them along now that they are heading down the East Coast.

Your support of Row for Heroes is much appreciated, keep it up - its getting the guys home!!

Jess

Skye Bridge Scotland

At 9.30am on Saturday June 6th the boys reached a major milestone on their row - in the form of Skye bridge. A small (but ever enthusiastic) group of friends, family and amazingly kind locals jumped aboard a couple of boats (and for a short while a light aircraft) to cruise along side the guys for almost an hour catching up on what life aboard has been like and noting (with much relief) how well both Nick and Hamish are getting along, despite being stuck in such a confined space for 3 and a half weeks.

There are a million stories that I could relay from aboard Komale, but I will save them for the boys to share on their return...some interesting observations/ stories from our time with them yesterday include;

1) The beefy boys who were eating anything fatty that they could get their hands on have now lost any sign of 'Puppy Fat' they do not yet look unhealthily skinny (which I suspect in another 3 weeks they will) however their lower legs and seems to have lost the most weight with both boys shins resembling a lanky adolescent. It was most bizarre to see them in their now slightly baggy Icebreaker leggings with these wee legs poking out the bottom!

2) Hamish has developed an eating disorder/ food phobia. As amusing as I find the idea of my darling boy who has been known to challenge friends to 'meat eat offs', this could quickly become a serious problem. He now finds is physically impossible to digest any of the meat in the freeze dried meals and so has to pick it out before cooking or he will find himself instantly throwing it up. It has become so bad that Nick can no longer eat a few of the meat meals in front of Hamish or he will instantly be sick by the smell/ idea of the meat Nick is consuming. Nutrition is so important to the success of the row, and the boys are doing everything they can to overcome this issue, including Nick swapping rations with Hamish if his are more suitable to Hamish's newly delicate palate. This might all sound a bit ridiculous (Hamish is the first to admit how bizarre it is) but is genuinely a big worry that hopefully the guys can keep from interfering in their well being too much.

3) Both boys have decided that 3 weeks at Sea has turned them into Philosophers. They tried to share some of their 'deep thinking' with us yesterday but unfortunately to the untrained ear it all sounded a bit like the words of two boys who have been isolated at sea. Watch this space...

4) Nick was interested in how many dates I had scheduled for his return. Please apply within ;)

Yes their hands and bottoms are sore. Yes they are sleep deprived. Yes some of the food rations are not allowed to be spoken of aloud to avoid instant vomiting episodes (They have even renamed a few of the meals with crude titles that I can't re-produce on this website but I am sure you can be creative and imagine!). However despite the immense challenges the boys are facing morale is high, the boys are looking well, laughing and joking together and focused on getting the job done. They are overwhelmed by your support and get a real high when complete strangers contact them, offering support and luck.

Keep following the tracker on homepage and of course Twitter and the Facebook Group; ROW FOR HEROES. The boys have uploaded a few videos from the boat so we will try and get them onto the website so you can see what life aboard Komale is really like. As always Thank you for your support. Keep the donations flying, every little bit counts and is much appreciated.

Jess