The Scilly Boys was a four-man
rowing team
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is d ...
who, in June 2008, attempted to beat the trans-Atlantic rowing record but were capsized due to a storm. The group consisted of Chris Jenkins, Tim Garratt, Wayne Davey and Joby Newton.
Background
The idea for the group to row the Atlantic was started while in the pub.
The row was done in aid of several charities, with each member of the team sponsoring a charity: Chris Jenkins, a member of the
Isles of Scilly RNLI lifeboat crew, sponsored a charity wishing to improve Bristol’s special care baby unit; Tim Garratt sponsored
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer was a United Kingdom charity whose mission was to "save lives through improving early diagnosis, developing new treatments and preventing all types of breast cancer". In 2015, Breakthrough Breast Cancer merged with anothe ...
; Wayne Davey, a paramedic, sponsored the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
(RNLI); and Joby Newton sponsored the
Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Row
Preparations
Prior to the row, in December 2007, the team completed a sea survival course with the RNLI at the
Lifeboat College in
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
, as part of the charity’s support of the row.
Departure
The team departed
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
from
Liberty Landing Marina on 1 June at 10:00.
Capsize and rescue
Thirteen days into the row, at 01:00 BST,
Falmouth Coastguard was alerted by the team via
satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. The advantage of a sa ...
that the Scilly Boys had capsized due to low visibility and high winds, leading to a rescue operation. The
United States Coast Guard, once alerted, coordinated the rescue and a
merchant ship, the Gulf Grace, and a
Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft were sent to the boat's last known position.
Return
After disembarking the Gulf Grace in
Gibraltar
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, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
, the team flew back to the
United Kingdom, arriving at
Penzance
Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
Quay to board the
RMV Scillonian III
RMV ''Scillonian III'' is a passenger ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. She operates the principal ferry service to the Isles of Scilly and is one of only three ships in the w ...
which would take them back home to the Isles of Scilly.
Response
The BBC series ''An Island Parish'' filmed a special episode documenting the group's experience.
References
{{reflist
Rowing teams
2008 in the United Kingdom
People from the Isles of Scilly