THE trials, tribulations and sheer joy of spending more than seven weeks at sea rowing the Atlantic have been told by Uffculme man Ian Duncan.

Ian, 60 this month, was part of a four-man team who have just completed rowing the 3,144 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2019.

The Atlantic Mavericks – Ian, Richard ‘Tiny’ Baker, Roy Dixon and Ian Davies – spent 50 days at sea battling against the elements and marvelling at what they saw.

They quickly discovered what the Atlantic Ocean could throw at them after setting off from La Gomera on December 12. Ian said: “We left to a fanfare departure which quickly turned into a baptism of fire. It was stormy for the first three or four days and many of the waves were reaching the heights of a two-storey house. When you’re in a small rowing boat this can be quite a rollercoaster ride. In those early stages we really wondered what on earth we’d let ourselves in for.”

Sea sickness and claustrophobia were major issues early on, as was the breakdown of the autohelm, a self-steering device that can hold boats on a pre-set compass course.

“The storms reached a point where rowing was a futile exercise and it turned into a battle of survival,” Ian said. “We had to deploy a para anchor, which is like an underwater parachute that stabilises the vessel in stormy conditions and stops you drifting. The four of us took refuge in the small cabins at the bow and stern, two of us in each.

“On one occasion we were stuck there for seven hours or so and that’s when claustrophobia really hit me. These cabins aren’t designed for comfort, in fact, they’re very cramped. And when you have another man in there with you, with the hatch firmly shut, it’s not a nice place to be at all.”

Most of the journey was hard work. Ian said: “We had sores on our legs, knees and backsides, and had to manage our bodies as best we could in order to cope. We kept our spirits up and rowed for two hours on and two hours off. On the two hours off we had to rest, attend to any medical problems, prepare and eat food, make drinking water and do navigational checking and maintenance of the boat.”

As well as the major challenges the team witnessed incredible sights. “The night skies were a spectacle to behold, as were the many sunrises and sunsets,” Ian said. “We enjoyed plenty of sightings of marine wildlife, including killer whales and a few other species of whale. We also saw dolphins, sharks, turtles and all manner of sea birds. Even a flying fish decided to land on board at one point.”

Ian was not the oldest in the team, with one of the other members a week older, and the remaining two in their mid-50s. “It was fantastic to arrive in Antigua,” Ian said. “Nothing can prepare you for the finish experience. As you get close you begin to see more and more people, and the whooping and encouragement was tremendous. And there on the hill at the end of a spit was a ruined fort and all the wives and girlfriends, family and friends wearing Mavericks T-shirts with something akin to vuvuzelas and cowbells bursting into euphoric noise.

“They made our arrival so very special as we crossed the finish line. As we continued to row to the dockside a klaxon went off, there were flares, horns were sounding from many of the super yachts. The paparazzi boat sped round us and took many photographs. It was such a fanfare and all completely overwhelming, and we were made to feel a million dollars. Similarly, when we arrived dockside, Atlantic Campaigns, the governing body, made us feel very welcome too with more photos, flares and interviews after we’d moored up.

“I knew Caroline, my wife, would be here, of course, but my eldest son James was a big surprise to see dockside as we approached. He’d somehow managed to sneak out here without me knowing and I was so so pleased to see them both. We probably had the longest group hug we’ve ever had.”

Ian and Caroline plan to spend a further week on the island of Antigua. “When you take your first step on land with legs that have experienced muscle degradation for seven weeks they are so different to the legs that you left behind in La Gomera,” Ian said. “I probably suffered the worst of the team in this respect, as the others coped remarkably well. I’m looking forward to a period of recuperation on what is a paradise island and, not only that, to learn to walk again!”