Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge
- December 07, 2016
When the teams start arriving in the race village in La Gomera the atmosphere becomes electric as they help each other prepare for the almighty challenge before them. They all have the same objectives; one: to get themselves and their boats safely to the other side, and two: to own the unique experience of being one of the very few people who have crossed the Atlantic in a rowing boat.
They will experience the most intense days of their lives while bobbing around in what will seam an endless stretch of water. While the teams will have the comfort of talking amongst themselves, the solo rowers will only have their boat as company. These seven meters by just under two meter engineering masterpieces will become their best ally, and the small cabin will be the only protection from raging storms and swelling seas. What food and equipment they set off with is the only thing allowed on the boat. No support, food, water or outside repairs can be done once the oars start their first stroke of this incredible man powered journey.
They will face a constant battle against sleep deprivation, salt sores and all the other physical extremes the row will inflict. Most of them will lose an incredible amount of weight and gain a deep tan to show off at the finish line. They will delve in to deep philosophical debate when alone with their thoughts, which has made for many a weird night shift row conversation. When things get tough many will have to deal with raw emotions of leaving loved ones behind and being isolated. But all who have succeeded have felt the experience has enriched their lives, some so much that they are back to do it again!
YB tracking has supplied GPS trackers to Talisker Atlantic Row since 2013 and are very excited to be providing our trackers once again. Each row boat will have one of our trackers installed to the rail before the starting klaxon goes off. The tracker will essentially wake up at predetermined intervals to collect and transmit data through the Iridium satellite network system. Within seconds the data goes to the YB HQ servers and the data is visualised on to a live race player. Friends, family and race team supporters can view the map and the team's progress at any time, day or night, and race control know the whereabouts of all teams all the time, making it much easier for the very few who have to retire to be found and picked up by the support yacht.
For more information on the race and the participating teams, please visit the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge website.
