Lord Wandsworth College near Hook has held a 24-hour ‘rowathon’ to raise money and awareness for a transatlantic charity rowing challenge later this year. On 15 December, ex-pupil Dave Lambert will be launching an attempt to row across the Atlantic with friend and colleague Tom Brunwin
The military pair – who are also known as the Atlantic Drifters – will be taking part in the row across the Atlantic to raise money for two charities: OAKS (Overseas Aid for the Kids of Sierra Leone) and DDMT (Lt Dougie Dalzell MC Memorial Trust). The race involves rowing 3,000 nautical miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua. Dave and Tom are Army Air Corps officers and have both completed tours of Afghanistan. Dave, who left Lord Wandsworth College in 2000, is an Apache helicopter pilot, trained Prince Harry when he was on tour in Afghanistan and has been awarded an MBE.
He explains: “The race is the equivalent of running 138 London marathons back to back, but we’ll also be facing tropical storms, sleep deprivation, sharks, blisters and salt rashes – as well as the mental stress of dealing with such a hostile environment; however we’re confident that our military background will stand us in good stead.”
The duo will be rowing two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours a day for a minimum of 40 days. Their ocean rowing boat is a seven metre long by two metre wide space, with little shelter from the elements.
Using rowing machines, the ten rowing teams from Lord Wandsworth College raised just under £2,000 to support the Atlantic Drifters in their 24-hour challenge to row the same distance that the two men will cover later this year.
