Irish record Atlantic crossing from La Gomera

Gavan Hennigan celebrating his arrival in Antigua with the Irish tricolour (Image: irishtimes.com)

Irishman Gavan Hennigan from Galway has done it. He arrived in Antigua in less than 49 days and 12 hours after starting his solo row across the Atlantic from San Sebastian de La Gomera, placing him third overall of the 12 competing boats and first in the solo class. The only two boats to beat his time in the Talisker Atlantic challenge rowing race were manned by teams of four rowers, making his solo effort all the more remarkable. He also smashed all previous Irish records for Atlantic crossings by rowing boats.

“The last seven days have been relentless. At times, I’ve rowed up to 19 hours a day and yesterday when I woke up, I decided it was time to finish this. I’ve rowed for the past 14 hours straight. I gave that my all,'' said the exhausted but happy Gavan, the only Irish rower in the race.

Irishman to start solo row across Atlantic today

Gavan Hennigan aboard his boat 'Doireann' in the harbour of San Sebastian de La Gomera (gavanhennigan.com)

Galway native Gavan Hennigan is one of only four solo rowers in the Talisker Atlantic Challenge race across the Atlantic which is starting from San Sebastian de La Gomera this morning.
The event takes place every year from La Gomera island in the Canaries to Antigua in the Caribbean, and Mr. Hennigan will row in a specially-built Ocean rowing boat for a crossing which could take up to three months to complete.

The voyage is widely considered to be one of the toughest challenges on the planet and to date more people have climbed Everest, reached the North Pole, or ventured into space than have successfully rowed the Atlantic.

He explains why he decided to undertake such an expedition:

“That’s a big question a lot of people ask and I suppose I like the idea of the challenge. I’ve spent a lot of my time in extreme places doing mountaineering in the Himalayas, I’ve been to Antarctica, I’ve done some of the world’s longest and toughest ultra-marathons, I’ve also had one of the most dangerous jobs in the world as a commercial diver so I’ve lived this life of extreme adventure and this just looked like the next big challenge for me.

The athlete from Knocknacarra said he is nervous and excited but definitely up for the challenge. “I really like the idea of being out at sea for up to two, three months and being self-sufficient and the challenge of all that and making my own decisions.”

Throughout the crossing Gavan will face raging seas, howling winds, sharks, blisters, salt rashes, sunstroke and sleep deprivation but he said he is strengthened by his resolve to do this and raise monies for four charities; Cancer Care West, Jigsaw, RNLI and Sanctuary. He is hoping to raise in the region of €20,000. Cancer Care West and Jigsaw are both close to his heart and Gavan Hennigan has already raised thousands for Galway charities through other expeditions in extreme conditions.
You can follow his progress and that of the other contestants by clicking RACE TRACKER

Turtle flies from Ireland to Canary Islands for warmth

The Irish Independent in its online edition reported yesterday:

Leona the turtle goes home!

When turtles take flight.

After an epic swim which brought her thousands of miles from home and within minutes of death, Leona the loggerhead turtle finally flew back to warmer waters today.

The turtle, which was found washed up in Co Clare last year, was close to death but was slowly nursed back to health at the Galway Atlantaquaria.

For a number of months now her carers have been desperately trying to get Leona home but were finding it impossible to secure a warm flight back. Cold temperatures in a cargo hold could have killed her immediately.

But after an appeal for assistance in getting Leona home, Aer Lingus came to her aid, offering her a seat on one of their commercial flights back to Gran Canaria and warmer climes.  The turtle and her carers travelled to Dublin airport today to fly Leona home.

"We will absolutely miss her but we're just so happy that she's going home. We'll stay with her for a few days to get her settled in and hopefully we'll see her released back into the water before we leave," said Joanne Casserly, who has cared for Leona for the past year.

However, those who have followed her progress to date won't be left wondering about her future. A tracking device will follow the turtle, which is an endangered species for the next 17 months.

"We have no idea where she might go and it will be amazing to watch her. We just hope she doesn't come back to Ireland," added Joanne.

Aer lingus arranged to transport the endangered loggerhead turtle back to her home on the Canary Islands today. The airline whisked Leona to Gran Canaria at 14.10.

Aer Lingus carried Leona in a custom-made lined crate which was secured over two seats in the main cabin.

©  Irish Independent  Photo: Robbie Reynolds

Leona even got her own boarding pass, the airline says.

She was accompanied by Galway county vet Rita Gately and aquarist Joanne Casserley. The lid of the crate was removable to allow monitoring of the turtle’s wellbeing during the flight.

After her arrival at Las Palmas, Leona is to be cared for in a sanctuary until her release into the wild - which is expected to happen in the coming days.

In the ocean, the loggerhead turtle will have a GPS tracking device attached to her - enabling the aquarium and Leona’s many fans to track her progress.

Aer Lingus Director of Communications, Declan Kearney said:

“When we were approached by the County Veterinary Officer to assist with the transportation of Leona, we had no hesitation in agreeing. Leona is one of our more unusual passengers, but we are delighted to facilitate her return to her natural habitat.”