It's just Oarsome

The Star - Monday September 8th 2003

Treacherous weather was unable to deter the volunteers who rowed across the Irish Sea from the Isle of Man to Drogheda over the week-end to raise money for two charities.

In all, 21 men and women from the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue And Recovery Service took part in the 70-mile trip that left the Isle of Man seven hours early because of bad weather.

"The Coastguard told us on Saturday afternoon that if we didn't go at 5pm, we wouldn't get out," said spokesman Paul Burke. "The weather forecast was bad and there was a hell of a swell at times. In the early ours of Sunday, the Carlingford lifeboat wanted us to stop, but we kept going."

Indeed, the rowers had to pull up their oars at times when the weather got too much for them, while two men had to dive down to free ropes from a safety boat that had entangled them.

"We made it through it all, even the rough seas, and it really is a credit to the younger members of the service, who just refused to give up," said Mr Burke. "I don't know how much we have raised yet, we are still getting donations but it was definitely worth it," he said.

The rowers, who were raising money for a new boathouse and for St Ita's special needs school in Drogheda, reached land at about 8am yesterday.