Rowing the Atlantic in 43% West

Damian West (C84) has rowed the Atlantic in the “Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge”.  He was rowing in a two man boat called “43% West” with Alex Hinton - 43% West is a 7 metres long boat. Damian and Alex rowed “43% West” from Tenerife to Port St Charles, Barbados, a journey of 2,900 nautical miles as the crow flies.  Starting on 7 October 2001, they reached Port St Charles on Boxing Day 2001 - thus they took 80 days from 7 October to 26 December 2001.  The Ward Evans Atlantic Challenge 2001 Website notes: “Fewer people have completed this awesome challenge than have scaled Everest”. The race was conceived by Sir Chay Blyth’s Challenge Business - organisers of the BT Global Challenge. The Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge is the world’s toughest rowing race.

Captain Harry Scrope (E92) was involved in a rescue in the Antarctic in December 2001. He was part of a nine man army expedition to explore the Danco Coast, and had launched an attempt on the Forbidden Pleateau, so named because of its treacherous inaccessibility. As reported in the Daily Telegraph on 17 December 2001, one of the leaders of the expedition, Major James Harris, suddenly found himself hanging by a rope above a 200 foot crevasse. The snow covered ground suddenly gave way and he plunged 10 feet before being saved by a rope attached to two other skiers behind him, both of whom threw themselves to the ground and dug themselves into the snow to prevent themselves being pulled into the crevasse. Captain Harry Scrope was involved with one other over the next two hours in hauling Major Harris to safety. Major Harris was quoted in the Daily Telegraph as saying “Harry is like an ox so I knew they [the two doing the rescue] would get me out”

Mark Hoare (O91) walked the Pilgrimage Way to Santiago de Compostela.  Starting from Le Puy in Western  France on 12 September 2000, he walked about 1000 miles through Conques, Cahors, Maissac, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Roncesvalles, Bourgos and Leon to Santiago de Compostela, the shrine of St James the Apostle, arriving on 10 December 2000 B and later walking on to Finisterre. On the way he painted some pictures and kept a diary and later spent time at Ampleforth to edit these.