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Two former<br />
paratroopers<br />
have become the<br />
oldest pair to row<br />
across the Atlantic<br />
Ocean, with a<br />
combined age of 123.<br />
Neil Young and Peter<br />
Ketley, known as the<br />
'Grandads of the<br />
Atlantic', rowed the<br />
3,000-mile journey<br />
from La Gomera to<br />
Antigua in 63 days, 40<br />
minutes and six<br />
seconds.<br />
Mr Young and Mr<br />
Ketley met during their<br />
time in the Parachute<br />
Regiment and have<br />
remained friends for<br />
40 years. <strong>The</strong>y had no<br />
rowing experience<br />
before taking on the<br />
challenge.<br />
Speaking to Forces<br />
News after completing<br />
the race, Mr Ketley<br />
said: "It was absolutely<br />
wonderful.<br />
"I'm glad it has ended -<br />
I can't say the whole<br />
thing was enjoyable,<br />
the longevity of the<br />
whole event was rather<br />
difficult to take on but<br />
we've learnt so much<br />
and the experience is<br />
something that will<br />
stay with us forever."<br />
<strong>The</strong> pair faced some<br />
difficulties early on in<br />
the race that slowed<br />
their progress.<br />
"We had a lot of<br />
technical issues and<br />
we had some<br />
breakages, the rowing<br />
seat ball bearings<br />
were all over the<br />
place, we lost various<br />
nuts off the seat, we<br />
had a broken oar in a<br />
massive wave that hit<br />
the boat," Mr Young<br />
explained.<br />
"We were also without<br />
the autohelm that<br />
effectively helps steer<br />
the boat - you punch<br />
in the numbers you<br />
want it to go on and it<br />
helps steer the boat.<br />
"We went without that<br />
for 28 days so we've<br />
had plenty of technical<br />
issues to deal with.<br />
"But lots of good parts<br />
of the rowing as well,<br />
we enjoyed seeing the<br />
whales that we saw<br />
three times, (it was)<br />
fantastic seeing them<br />
coming under the<br />
boat, turning over and<br />
showing their bellies!"<br />
Mr Young described<br />
pulling into the finish<br />
line at Nelson's<br />
Dockyard English<br />
Harbour in Antigua as<br />
"the most surreal<br />
place" after seeing<br />
NEWS<br />
Former Paratroopers Become Oldest Pair To Row Atlantic Ocean<br />
Story: Forces.net<br />
nothing but "10 ships"<br />
over the course of 63<br />
days.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Talisker Whiskey<br />
Atlantic Challenge had<br />
a large military<br />
presence with 19 of<br />
the race's rowers<br />
either veterans or<br />
serving personnel.<br />
Read more here...<br />
www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 9 |
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