A Year in the Oceans

Mark is now back in Scotland and recovering after his recent Atlantic Odyssey expedition. On January 31st Mark and his five crew-mates capsized in Sara G, their 11 meter ocean rowing boat, about 530 miles from their planned destination in Barbados. After 14 hours in their life raft they were rescued by the Taiwanese cargo ship Nord Taipei. 10 days later they made it back to land at Gibraltar. The accident happened 27 days into their World Record attempt and they had covered more than 2000 nautical miles since their start in Tarfaya, Morocco. Follow the link above to the Atlantic Odyssey website and also Mark’s blog in The Independent to find out more about what happened.

The best way to keep up to date with Mark’s expeditions and upcoming events is his twitter feed @MrMarkBeaumont or Facebook Page

Rowing the Atlantic

The Atlantic Odyssey Crew - Matt Craughwell (skipper), Aodhán Kelly, Simon Brown, Yaacov Motnikas, Ian Rowe and Mark Beaumont

Ian and Mark rowing at night in the mid Atlantic a few days before the capsize

The 3000-mile Atlantic crossing from east to west is widely considered the toughest ultra endurance event in the world, and the dream of crossing in less than 30 days has become known as the 4-minute mile of ocean rowing. ‘Sara G,’ the 11-metre, six man boat that Mark Beaumont is joining is very fast and already holds the Tasmin and mid Atlantic World Records – with a very strong crew and good trade winds, this January 2012 voyage stands a good chance of making history.

Starting from Tarfaya in Morocco and finishing at Barbados, the crew will row in repeated shifts of 2 hours on, 2 hours off and so one of the toughest parts is never getting more than about an hours sleep at a time, whilst rowing 24 hours a day for a month. ‘Sara G’ is skippered by Matt Craughwell who already has two Atlantic crossings to his name. Each crew member has been selected for their outright strength and resilience, both physically and mentally. You can find out more about this expedition on Matt’s website at www.worldoceanrowing.com

Rowing the Arctic

From July until September 2011 Mark was in the Canadian Arctic as part of a six man rowing expedition. The aim was to reach the North Magnetic Pole (as certified in 1996). Mark was asked to join the expedition by the BBC to film and row with Scottish explorer Jock Wishart and team in a quest to row 450 miles through the dramatic icebound coastlines and shifting sea ice of the remote Nunavut territory.

The Arctic Team - Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon, Jock Wishart (skipper), Rob Sleep, David Mans and Mark Beaumont at the 1996 North Magnetic Pole

The Polar Regions have long been accepted as a barometer for our changing world. Reaching such northerly latitudes by water is a bittersweet first, only made possible by the rapidly changing icecap.

The Route through the Arctic