Walters rows across
Atlantic in 100 days
~ Sails into Guinness Book ~
PHILIPSBURG--It took forty years for Puffin, a fifteen-foot rowboat, to complete a transatlantic crossing with the help of lone rower Graham Walters of Great Britain. Completing the journey from the Canary Islands to St. Barths in 100 days, Puffin and Walters have secured their place in history until another “crazy rower” comes along to challenge their record.
Walters who completed the voyage on Sunday by rowing into St. John’s Bay in St. Barths, is expected to be in the next publication of Guinness World Records for making the rough Atlantic crossing in the smallest boat, the 15-foot Puffin, and for the oldest boat ever to make the crossing: The Puffin is forty years old.
Puffin’s odyssey began when journalists David Johnstone and John Hoare made the first attempt of the 20th century to row the Atlantic, their route running from west to east, in 1966.
The duo endured 106 days at sea marked by 14 gales of various strengths and one hurricane. Their brave attempt finally ended on September 3, 1966, when they lost their lives during a second hurricane, Hurricane Faith.
The Puffin was recovered three months later by the Canadian Coast Guard with the log of the voyage intact. The rowboat returned to Great Britain and travelled to various museums until it caught the eyes of Walters who was game to take the Puffin to complete its cross-Atlantic quest.
Walters set off alone on February 4 because the rowboat only had enough space for him and food supplies for the 100-day voyage.
A sunburnt but smiling Walters told The Daily Herald Tuesday that the rowboat had been piled high with food, a water-making machine, a four-man lifeboat (required by maritime law), books and music to fill the time.
Walters crossed the Atlantic before in two races in 1997 and 2001, but crossing with Puffin was a challenge he could not pass up. He was first introduced to the voyage of Johnstone and Hoare by reading Merton Naydler’s book The Penance Way based on the voyage logs.
“The boat was in good condition and I thought, ‘It may be good enough to make the crossing,’” Walters said.
The voyage gave the rower a lot of time to clear his mind and catch up on reading adventure novels that helped keep his adrenalin pumping. Asked what it had been like to be surrounded by the azure ocean for 100 days, Walters said, “Every day the feeling changes. Some days, it is fantastic and others … you have a lot of time to look back on your life.”
Puffin was originally expected to make its way to Antigua, but due to some wayward winds, Walters ended up east of St. Barths Sunday and was located by St. Maarten’s Garfield, captained by Bruce Hancocks.
Hancocks was asked by a mutual friend to head out to sea, look for Walters and lead him to land. “We found him Sunday and led him to land. He rowed and we sailed close by.” The Garfield could not tow Puffin in because the voyage had to be completed unaided.
Ending up in St. Barths, Walter joked, is testimony to how bad a navigator he is. Once on shore, the cross-Atlantic rower said all he wanted to do was stand up after being in a sitting position for 100 days and about 3,100 nautical miles.
“He wanted to stand up. He tried and he kept falling down, but he was in good spirits,” Hancocks said.
Walters is already gearing up for his next big adventure: a skiing race to the geographical north pole in 2007. “I always wanted to head to the North Pole.”
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