Amputee servicemen suffer setback in effort to row 3,000 miles across Atlantic to raise funds for wounded fellow soldiers

By
Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 7:21 PM on 1st January 2012

A group of injured British servicemen
trying to row the Atlantic has suffered a major setback after a vital
piece of equipment broke leaving them without fresh water.

The
six-man team – four of whom lost limbs during service in Iraq or
Afghanistan – are trying to raise £1million for wounded soldiers.

The
Row2Recovery team started at La Gomera in the Canary Islands and are
currently around 1,000 miles away from their destination in Barbados – a
total journey of 3,000 miles.

Heroic effort: Ed Janvrin, Carl Anstey, Alex Mackenzie, Neil Heritage and Will Dixon, five of the heroic six-man crew rowing the Atlantic

Heroic effort: Ed Janvrin, Carl Anstey, Alex Mackenzie, Neil Heritage and Will Dixon, five of the heroic six-man crew rowing the Atlantic

They were making good progress and had received widespread support, including a morale-boosting call from Prince Harry.

But
the team’s desalinator has broken, followed by their emergency
hand-pump, leaving them without any fresh water.

Spokesman Sam Peters said: ‘In Army terms it’s sort of mission critical – it’s the worst case scenario bar sinking.’

The
crew are waiting for a support vessel to bring 350 litres of bottled
water – but it is currently around 1,000 miles away and will take days
to reach them.

‘They are
down to two litres of water a day,’ Mr Peters said. ‘That gives them
around 16 days’ worth; that’s the absolute cut-off.

Somewhere in the Atlantic: The crew pause for a seasonal pose during their attempt to cross the ocean Pictured front row (left to right) Will Dixon, Neil Heritage, Rory Mackenzie. Back row (left to right) Carl Anstey, Ed Janvrin, Alex Mackenzie

Somewhere in the Atlantic: The crew pause for a seasonal pose during their attempt to cross the ocean Pictured front row (left to right) Will Dixon, Neil Heritage, Rory Mackenzie. Back row (left to right) Carl Anstey, Ed Janvrin, Alex Mackenzie

‘We
think the boat should be able to get to them within eight or nine days
but if weather conditions change significantly or anything like that,
then that’s going to significantly slow the support vessel down.

‘There’s definitely a concern that it could stop them getting across.

The crew has received a moral-boosting call from Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan and is patron of the injured servicemen's charity Walking With The Wounded

The crew has received a moral-boosting call from Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan and is patron of the injured servicemen’s charity Walking With The Wounded

‘They
are absolutely determined to finish what they started and it’s
frustrating for them that after everything they have been through, it
may be technical problems that let them down.

‘But they are bringing their best military mentality to it and cracking on and making the best of the difficulties.’

The
team includes able-bodied ex-captains Ed Janvrin and Alex Mackenzie, 32
and 33, who joined four servicemen who all lost limbs in Iraq or
Afghanistan.

Soldier Tony
Harris lost his left leg when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated under his vehicle in Afghanistan in May 2009.

The
team also includes Lieutenant Will Dixon, 27, who had to have his left
leg amputated below the knee when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan ten
days before Christmas 2009.

Corporal
Neil Heritage, 31, needed a double above-knee amputation when a suicide
bomber detonated a device a few feet from him in Iraq in November 2004.

Also
on the team is Corporal Rory Mackenzie, 30, who lost his right leg when
he was blown up by a roadside bomb during a patrol in Basra City in
January 2007.

And Lance
Corporal Carl Anstey, 26, now needs a leg brace to walk after he was hit
by the blast from a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in January
2009.

The team’s journey
of around 3,000 miles, which they hope will take 40-50 days, has seen
them spend Christmas and New Year at sea.

They are one of 17 teams from across the world aiming to cross the Atlantic as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Money
they raise is to be distributed between three military charities: Help
for Heroes, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association
(SSAFA) and ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity.

Writing
on the team’s blog yesterday, Cpl Heritage said: ‘Our worst fears have
been realised with another serious on-board technical issue putting our
chances of rowing across the Atlantic into serious jeopardy.

‘We’ve
still got around 1,000 miles to go until we reach Barbados but at this
precise moment we have no means of making drinkable water.

In hot water? The crew's effort could be derailed if they cannot pick up supplies of fresh water in the coming days

In hot water? The crew’s effort could be derailed if they cannot pick up supplies of fresh water in the coming days

‘We’ve settled in to what’s known as a ‘hard routine’. It’s a military term used when rations are in short supply.’

He said until they know how long the support vessel, Aurora, will take, they are drinking just two litres of water a day.

‘We’re
eating a lot of muesli, as it takes the least hydrating, and drinking
something called Peronin, which is a powder mix designed to keep
athletes hydrated during extreme sports events. This feels pretty
extreme right now!

‘Despite all our setbacks we remain defiant in the face of adversity.

‘It’s incredibly frustrating that technical problems are hampering us so badly but we remain totally determined to get across.

‘This
mission is about more than winning a race – it’s about showing what can
be achieved after serious injury. We have no intention of giving up any
time soon.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Brave determined men. I salute you and Happy New Year.

The support boat is a thousand miles away and will take 8 or 9 days to reach them we are told. Using the minimums of 1000 miles and 192 hours to travel that means the support boat can travel in an emergency to where it’s support is badly needed at 5.2 mph. Is the rescue boat also being rowed or is it being towed by a flock of harnessed swans who adhere to union work hours? How did the organisers of this event allow their support/rerscue boat to be so far from the participants in the event? If someone dies or gets very ill someone else needs to be prosecuted. Or is this whole story just a publicity seeking ploy?

Sorry, the wee man’s getting it.Custom of the sea.RIP wee man.

Good luck boys, you are truly amazing people 🙂 Happy New Year to you all x

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