Wick lifeboat couple set to go for Gold in GB rowing challenge
Two Wick lifeboat volunteers aiming to set off on an around-Britain challenge next week have struck gold with the backing of a lead sponsor.
Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross – known as Stormy and Steth – hope to become the first mixed pairs team to circumnavigate Great Britain unsupported by rowing boat.
To successfully complete the record attempt, the couple must be totally self-reliant for the duration of the trip, including carrying all their supplies and not landing at any point.
With just days to go until their estimated departure from Wick, The Long Row Home team are gearing up for their 60-day challenge in support of the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), with a fundraising target of £30,000.
They have already reached almost £6000 on their JustGiving page before an oar has hit the water.
Now Boralex, the developer behind the Limekiln wind farm near Reay, has signed up to the Gold sponsorship package in support of the couple.
Allan, coxswain of the Wick lifeboat, and Mhairi, who works as a paramedic and is a crew member of the lifeboat, have taken several months of unpaid leave from their jobs to commit to this challenge.
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They plan to depart from Wick during the week commencing May 27, and will be closely monitoring weather conditions as they await a suitable weather window to cross the Moray Firth as the first stage of their journey.
Allan previously told the Groat: “We want to succeed and we want to do it by getting home in one piece as well. To do that we've got to manage the risk, and weather and tide is a big part of that.
“We're quite fortunate that we've got good skill sets ourselves but we've also got the support of local contacts in the RNLI around the coast.”
They will row a carbon-fibre boat, a Rannoch R15, which is just seven metres long and has been moored at Wick harbour for the last couple of months as the couple make their final preparations for the adventure.
Esbjorn Wilmar, country manager for Boralex UK said: “Boralex is delighted to be supporting this extraordinary challenge to raise funds for two of the UK’s most vital charities.
“As renewable developers, we understand the challenges of working in remote and extreme conditions and often the need for grit and determination, which Stormy and Steth have in abundance, and we will be cheering on their progress every stroke of the oar.”
The company also announced that this month will see the start of turbine components, including the blades, being delivered to its Limekiln wind farm site at Reay.
“Having the turbine components arrive in Caithness this month is also a huge step forward for Boralex in our construction of Limekiln, which will generate renewable energy for nearly 100,000 homes,” he added.
From Monday, May 20, for four weeks, two convoys will deliver turbine components from Scrabster Harbour to site at Reay. Boralex says these journeys will take place on two days each week at off-peak times during the day.
The days each week will vary as they are subject to police approval, but the final confirmation will be notified on the www.limekilnwindfarm.co.uk website by 9am on the day of each delivery.
Each convoy consists of three vehicles and will be managed by an official Police Scotland escort. Further deliveries will take place from mid-July and those dates and times will also be published on the website as soon as they are confirmed by Police Scotland.