Ending in March 2013 and battling huge waves and exhaustion, Charlie broke the long-standing record for single–handed rowing the Atlantic, some 2,700 miles from the Canaries to Barbados, in 35 days and 38 minutes so beating the record by an incredible 5 days, 9 hours and 30 minutes.

In discussions with Charlie and his new company Rannoch Adventures, Xcell developed 100% carbon fibre large sweep Macon blades fitted into Xcell’s X3 standard ocean rowing shafts constructed of 100% carbon fibre, with Kevlar-overwrap at the high-tensile pressure points.

Charlie has achieved such an outstandingly impressive performance using these new blades that Xcell are proposing to offer them to all future ocean rowing contestants .

Well done Charlie Pitcher!

Its a tough and dangerous journey to undertake. But the funds raised so far are already at £1,000,000.00 with alot more expected from “The Row to Recovery” Book which launched in November 2012, now available to order here for £14.99.

Author Sam Peters has gained unprecedented accrss to each crew member to deliver a book which will challenge perceptions of life in the British Army and what it means to be wounded. Peters was in contact with the crew by satelitte phone on every day of their epic 51 day crossing. He has subsequently spent more than 50 hour interviewing the war veterans, not just about their incredible 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic, but also about their own very personal and sometimes harrowing journeys from the battlefield to Barbados.

The Atlantic crossing, which generated global media coverage, was beset with physical, mental and technical difficulties which saw the crew forced onto emergency rations for 17 days when their water purifier broke. One crew member – above knee amputee Rory Mackenzie – spent Christmas Day heavily sedated and extracting pieves of shrapnel from his buttock as the exertion of the gruelling routine took its toll.

Their eventual arrival in Barbados generated worldwide media interest. They even received a satellite phone call from Prince Harry, broadcast live to a huge global audience, while in the middle of the Atlantic. The Row to Recovery is an inspirational story of a remarkable group of men who have overcome enormous adversity and personal trauma and in the process redefined attitudes to disability.

Buy your copy of The Row To Recovery today  - http://www.visionsp.co.uk/viewitem.aspx?id=212

A Jubilee Special

Lieutenant Charlie Martell recorded a tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.  A copy was sent to Buckingham Palace last week.  The full recording is available for everyone to see here:

Summary: Day 29

• -  22.6 miles travelled
• -  22.5 miles made good
• -  586.5 miles total distance made good
• -  And since yesterday, thanks to The Daffodil, funds raised for charity have now topped £12,000

So, it was an early start this morning, woken by the petrels (whom I suspect may have been kipping on deck!). As I came out of my cabin, I noticed the morning to be still… not a noise in the air. The ocean calm, not flat calm, but almost. I heard a splash and just a few hundred metres away from the stern of Blossom I saw a couple of dolphins leaping out of the water silently, only to splash back down… they did this several times before making their way away from me. A great start to the day.

Porridge (again!) for brekkers, then I was on the oars for 0500. I’m fairly happy with the progress made today, it’s not been really tough, but certainly not easy either. As I came towards the end of rowing, the dolphins made another appearance, but didn’t hang around for more than a few minutes… not more than ten minutes later, I spotted a flying fish, just the one and it looked like a giant dragonfly as it seemed to effortlessly cruise through the air, before submerging again!

Today not only marks the 1st day of June, but also the end of week 4 for Blossom and I. As we start week 5 tomorrow, I will be thinking of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers, Charlie

Ways you can help…

• -  Forward the Jubilee message to as many people as you can, this weekend
• -  Email Charlie and Blossom (he receives all e-mails but, in the words of the best celebrities, can’t guarantee to reply to them all individually. You’ll most likely see a reply on the blog, or a mention in the video diary).
• -  Sponsor Charlie (for those in the UK, there’s a link to Justgiving here.  For those in the US and overseas, our Firstgiving page provides a means for you to donate).</li>
• -  Follow Charlie on Twitter
• -  Spread the word about his epic adventure by whatever means possible!

In December 2011, two able-bodied and four injured British servicememembers will take on the high seas in a rowing boat. They will cross the Atlantic from the coast of Africa to Barbados, a journey of about 3,000 miles.

Of the 452 rowing boat crews to ever attempt this Atlantic crossing, only 284 have succeeded. They took 40 to 120 days.

The team will row self-supported, and have to alternate between long hours of on deck rowing, and brief two hour off-watch rest spells in the cabin. The tropical climactic conditions can be unpredictable and the crew must be ready for anything from torrential rain to gale force winds and blistering, windless sunshine, as well as cold nights.

Routine is critical in tackling one of the greatest challenges: psychological exhaustion. Finding the dogged determination to continue under extreme physical pain, sleep deprivation and severe weight loss can be difficult.

These are the kind of conditions facing British servicemen and women every day in intense combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq.British servicemen and women will endure six, twelve, or even eighteen months of these constant challenges. The Row2Recovery team will endure eight weeks.

www.row2recovery.com

Watch the ITV report

See the video of Prince Harry Calling the boat

Artemis Ocean Rowing

Fox, the 1896 boat

Crew: Two Norwegian fishermen

Length: 18ft

Construction: Oak

Weight: 250lbs

Cooking: Small kerosene stove

Safety: Rails to help right in event of capsize, two watertight wooden flotation compartments

Navigation: Compass, sextant and copy of Nautical Almanac

Clothes: The crew wore oilskins and shared one pair of mittens

Artemis, the 2010 boat

Crew: Two Scots, one Irishman, one Faroese

Length: 23ft

Construction: Fibreglass Kevlar sandwich

Weight: 660lbs

Cooking: A super-efficient, powerful camping stove

Safety: Watertight flotation compartments, low centre of gravity for self-righting

Navigation: Charts, GPS, plastic sextant and VHF radio

Clothes: Oil skins, small gloves and thermal tops and bottoms

“Despite near miss collisions, strong winds and rough seas we rowed around Britain with watches of two pairs.  Our Xcell X3s performed outstandingly, and were customised for our physical size.  At times it was pretty tough going, yet we always seemed to be making headway and getting closer to the finish at Tower Bridge.” Belinda Kirk, Skipper and Expedition Manager of the Sea Gals.

Sea Gals

“I was using Xcell X3s from their specialist Ocean Rowing range, which were matched to my physique and rowing style.  The oars are extremely well designed and gave me that little extra edge throughout.  Although I carried a spare set of oars, just in case, they were surplus and I cannot thank the team at Xcell enough for all their support and help in the build up to the Atlantic Race.  As a single-handed rower, it was quite daunting and I was absolutely delighted to get line honours, ahead of the crewed teams.  Thanks Xcell.” Charlie Pitcher, winner Atlantic Rowing Race 2009/10.

Charlie practicing for his solo trans Atlantic rowing race by rowing