On Monday 14th July 2008 Niall Iain Macdonald, a 34 year old radio presenter from Stornoway, will attempt to row solo across the Minch, the stretch of water which separates the Outer Hebrides from mainland Scotland. He hopes to complete the 43 mile journey from Ullapool to Stornoway in around 30 hours in his rowing boat ‘CrazyBrave’. As well as being a personal challenge, Niall Iain, who works at BBC Radio nan Gaidheal, hopes to raise money for 2 local charities – ‘Royal National Lifeboat Institute’ (RNLI) and ‘Western Isles Association For Mental Health’ (WIAMH).
As well as adding to the respective charity’s funds, he also hopes that the project will raise people’s awareness about Mental Health issues in general and perhaps encourage people to talk more openly about, what is actually, a very common illness.
Niall Iain said ‘It’s something that I have been thinking about doing for quite a while but I always managed to find excuses not to – too risky, too far, too hard, too much hassle. Now, I realise that life is too short and that the only thing stopping me from doing it is myself.’
During the attempt Niall Iain will be alone in the boat and will be completely self-sufficient. There will be a safety yacht shadowing him during his time at sea but he will not be assisted other than in an emergency.
The Minch is crossed several times a day by the ‘Isle of Lewis’, the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry which sails between Ullapool and Stornoway but Niall Iain thinks that this may be the first time that anyone has rowed this route solo.
‘You could say that this is my own take on the soon to be introduced RET (Row Equivalent Tariff!)’ he states with a grin!
His boat has been secured on loan from Woodvale Challenge, a company in Devon who are world renowned for organising and supporting ocean rowing events.
She is a 'Woodvale Pairs Class' boat but she will be adapted to allow Niall Iain to row her solo. She is 23 feet long and of wooden construction. This is the most successful ocean rowing boat design in history and there have been more ocean crossings completed in this type of rowing boat than all the other ocean crossings in history. The boat Niall Iain will be using for his challenge completed the Atlantic Rowing Race in 2003 and took 59 days, 8 hours and 40 mins....but this is her first crossing of the Minch!
As well as undertaking a strenuous training regime, Niall Iain has also had to gain his VHF Radio certificate and learn basic navigation techniques, as well as perfect his rowing technique.
‘I have virtually no previous experience of rowing, apart from the training that I have been doing in the gym and some trips to the local boating pond as a young boy when I lived in Inverness, but that is more than a few years ago! I have had to do specific exercises to build up my leg, shoulder, arm, back and stomach muscles. Rowing uses virtually every part of the body and even the mind gets a work out as it takes a lot of concentration to get your stroke working efficiently, and you have to adapt to the conditions.’
As the crossing will take more than a day to complete Niall Iain will have to spend a night at sea, something he is particularly looking forward to.
‘I think that it will be a special experience to be bobbing around the Minch in the middle of the night surrounded by nothing except sea and stars…..I might not be of the same opinion if it’s blowing a Force 9 though!’
‘Moja Ltd.’, a local independent TV production company have been documenting Niall Iain’s preparations from the beginning for inclusion in a TV programme about the challenge which will be transmitted at a later date.
All money raised through sponsorship will be split 50-50 between his chosen charities and donations can be made on his website at www.rowtheminch.com , where people can also track his progress during the challenge.