In the early hours of Tuesday, the crew had to make an unscheduled stop in the fishing village of Portavogie, in Co Down, to take shelter from an incoming storm. The crew setting off from Dale in Pembrokeshire (ROW4MND/Athena Agency)They successfully berthed at 3am, having been at sea since 9am on Saturday. They had expected it to take 10 days to reach the Western Isles; the unscheduled stop will now delay their journey. Co-founder of ROW4MND Mr Bates said: “When you’re in a five-metre rowing boat in the pitch black, with a storm incoming, there is zero margin for error. For anyone who is in any doubt how tough this challenge is, it is beyond tough.”His fellow co-founder Mr Parker added: “When we signed up for this, we knew it’d be tough.

Source: The Herald March 10, 2026 16:00 UTC