ROWING IN REVERSE
Level Peaks join Ian Rivers as sponsors of his Row Sentinel Challenge
Ian Rivers is undertaking a huge challenge in May, as he rows the Atlantic in reverse. That is, the opposite way to normal and against the Gulf going from New York to the Scilly Isles (approximately 3,100 nautical miles). This has never been done as a Solo row before, so Ian will be making history as he raises money for two charities close to his hear, St Michaels Hospice and the Special Air Service Regimental Association.
Growing up in London, Ian joined the artillery commandos and ,always seeking to push himself physically, volunteered for selection at 24 years old. Ian is also an ocean yacht-master and so is more than capable of a more analogue style of navigation using sextants and charts rather than GPS, so for this challenge the use of GPS will be replaced by sextant and charts.
Erratic wind, cold choppy water all add to the unpredictability of the task, with New York’s Sea temp at roughly 8C and Scilly’s at 13C, so unlike the light clothing worn by those rowing the traditional route, Ian will likely be wearing full clothing if not full adverse-weather gear. However Ian has made sure he is best prepared for them and is embracing the chaos, focusing on what he can control, something he mastered in his military career which included escaping capture in Syria where he was on the run, solo, for three days. However, as part of the sponsorship, Level Peaks have provided safety equipment for Ian’s journey, which hopefully won’t be needed but will provide some peace of mind during the expedition.
Ian will be providing GPS updates during the journey which you can follow on his social media. As a fun addition, he will also be providing the location that he believes he is in as he charts his course!
To find out more about the journey and Ian, as well as links to social media, please visit his website: rowsentinel.com
To find out more about the charities Ian is raising funds for please visit their website, and give generously:
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