Tess launches at long last on epic solo voyage

The much-delayed adventure has already tested the participants in the patience and psychological strength needed, writes LIAM GORMAN

IRELAND HAS had a fine output of famed rowers – think Drea, O’Toole, Lynch, Towey, Jennings – yet no Irish man or woman has taken on and succeeded in rowing solo across the ocean which laps our shores.

Seán McGowan of Shannon Rowing Club in Limerick took to the water off the Canary Islands yesterday afternoon in his boat, Tess, intent on filling that gap. He is also raising money for the charity Soweto Connection.

The much-postponed Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race – it left almost a month behind schedule – has already tested the participants in the patience, planning and psychological strength which are a huge part of the challenge. McGowan seems to have coped well.

“I’m up for it now, looking forward to it,” he said yesterday, speaking from the departure point of La Gomera.

“The emotions were massive during the week, huge highs and huge lows. You’re scared; it’s a huge thing you are about to undertake – and if you aren’t there’d be something wrong. But I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to it now.”

He went through the same sweep of emotions before the original race date of December 6th – all in vain. A problem with the shipping of flares caused a delay, which pushed the race into a new weather phase and sparked a succession of postponements.

“I went through that cycle (of emotions) on December 6th, and then we came out of it and (the race) was delayed to December 11th. I went through the cycle again. Then it went to the 18th and I went through the third cycle. It’s terrible, going up and down.

“It’s such a big experience and such a big challenge. The high is massive; the low is huge. It’s gut-wrenching. It is really very difficult to get your head around.”

Keeping some degree of calm was crucial, “or otherwise physically it will take a huge toll on you”.

McGowan, who was a senior manager with Dell until the middle of last year and now works with Prodigium business advisers and training agency, chose to see a positive aspect in each postponement.

The farewell to his wife, Lorraine, and four children, who range from 10 to 14, had been hard. Then, unexpectedly, he was back with them when he had mentally prepared to be at sea. So he told himself it was a good thing after all – he was home for Christmas.

The necessity of being able to cope with the unexpected has been a note struck by two crews who completed this race. McGowan has made contact with Arklow brothers Eamonn and Peter Kavanagh, who finished fifth in 1997, and Paul Gleeson, who teamed up with his partner Tori Holmes in 2005/2006.

The voyage is chronicled in Little Lady, One Man, Big Ocean, which has recently been published in the US and Canada as Crossing the Swell.

This latter race became famous for the storm which capsized six craft and almost ended the lives of Olympian Gearóid Towey and his crewmate, Ciarán Lewis.

Fierce conditions again threaten this year’s race.

“There’s a big storm brewing in the States at the moment,” McGowan says. “It’s just coming off the coast. It’s going to hit us in about 14 days.”

McGowan had originally told people he would complete the journey in about 100 days. However, he was hopeful that he could be significantly faster – boats can “cut the corner” by heading more-or-less directly for the finishing point in Antigua rather than sweeping down to a lower, less risky, course. The coming storm has stymied those hopes.

“The big challenge is to get out and get south. If you don’t get far south enough you could get hit by this (storm).”

He is still hopeful of coming in under the 100 days, “but I won’t be in by Paddy’s Day, that’s for sure!”.

When he thinks of the finish, he talks of Lorraine, who has watched nervously as he was buffeted by the protracted build-up to the race.

“I think she’s happier now. I’m happier myself and she is as well. It’s been tough.

“But we’ll get this done and we’ll meet in Antigua and we’ll have a couple of days by ourselves. So it’ll be fine.”

A lot of people in Limerick and beyond share that hope.