Transatlantic rowers rescued after boat breaks up in gale

The four rowers who were rescued 200 miles off the Kerry coast yesterday after their boat was split in half in gale force winds are expected in Foynes, Co Limerick, this morning.

The ocean rowers, who were attempting the fastest crossing of the Atlantic in their rowing boat, the Pink Lady, are said to have only minor injuries. They were picked up by a Danish registered refrigeration vessel, the Scandinavian Reefer, at 8.30 a.m. yesterday.

The crew of the Reefer battled force seven gales after they picked up the Mayday call at about 2.30 a.m. The four-man crew of the Pink Lady had activated a distress beacon which was picked up by Falmouth Coastguard in Britain.

A major rescue operation involving an RAF rescue helicopter and a Nimrod aircraft was launched and all ships in the area were requested to proceed to the location. The crucial rescue work was carried out by the crew of the Reefer in a one-hour operation which Falmouth coastguard described as an "exceptional" display of seamanship. By the time the Reefer crew got to the Pink Lady the four rowers, all wearing survival suits, were clinging to a life raft.

The four men were sleeping yesterday evening and described as "fine" by a member of the Scandinavian Reefer crew. They are expected in Foynes at 6 a.m. this morning.

Shore team manager Mr Bob Barnsley, who spoke yesterday to Pink Lady skipper Mr Mark Stubbs from Poole in southern England, said the crew was "rattled but safe".

"On behalf of the crew I would like to pass on heartfelt thanks to the Falmouth Coastguard and the skipper and crew of the Scandinavian Reefer."

As well as Mr Stubbs, the crew included Mr Pete Bray from south Wales, Mr Jonathan Gornall from London and Mr John Wills from Surrey.

Having left St John's, Newfoundland, on June 30th, the crew was expected to break the world record for the fastest Atlantic row from Canada. They had hoped to cut 10 days from the current record of 55 days to row the 2,100 miles to Falmouth in Cornwall.

They had endured stormy weather since they left Newfoundland, with greater weather variability than is normal for this time of year. Typically, an east-west passage across the Atlantic in late summer is assisted by an Atlantic high moving from Bermuda to the Azores, giving westerly winds. However, there were unusually strong easterly winds pushing against the crew's course.

According to the Pink Lady's website, following a force seven gale last weekend, which threw up waves in excess of 40 feet, Mr Stubbs said the weather had given his crew "a really rough ride" and that they had to "struggle for every mile we've got in".

There was also a false alarm last week when the boat's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon was triggered by a deluge of waves while the boat was lying at anchor. The alarm relayed a signal to RAF Kinloss in Scotland, which in turn relayed signals to relevant coastguards. The crew contacted Falmouth to say it was a false alarm.

The men were raising funds for the British Heart Foundation in the sponsored row. Their voyage was the culmination of six years of boat development and two years of endurance training.