31st March 2005

A Successful Launch for Commando Joe

Under a thick veil of fog, making the Humber Bridge all but invisible, the Commando Joe team took to the water for the first time on Easter Sunday. Rowing the boat that they'll use next year to make the 2,800nm crossing from New York, USA, to Falmouth, UK, the team pronounced the launch 'a great success'.

Pete Rowlands, Mark Waterson, Charlie Martell and Ben Fouracre had to work hard against the fast-flowing current of the Humber, but conditions were otherwise calm - and certainly far calmer than the conditions they'll face during the two months the crossing's expected to take. Thanks must go to the crew and other staff at Humber Rescue, for their assistance with launching the boat and for giving their time so generously to ensure that the team was safe, and accompanied on the water, during this first outing. The heavy fog regrettably forced the abandonment of plans by E Flight to mark the occasion with a visit from their Sea King; thanks are due to them nonetheless.

Work now continues on fitting out the boat with more equipment before she is flown to New York next month, accompanied by all the crew and campaign manager Adrian Bell, for time trials and pre-race publicity in and around New York harbour. Keep checking back here for more information!

Thanks to Col Raven for photography; an album of his pics will soon be available on the site.

Click here to see the BBC North news item from Easter Sunday - 19Mb file