Power cuts, Haribo and stew: UK rowers brave mid-Atlantic Christmas | Rowing

Rowers from the UK enjoyed reindeer stew and endured a power failure on Christmas Day as they steered a course across the Atlantic Ocean.

Three fathers – Steve Woolley, 47, from Harrogate, Neil Furminger, 58, and Matt Garman, 53, both from Seaford in East Sussex – and solo rower Lara Vafiadis, 33, from Malvern in Worcestershire, are crewing two of the boats in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

The participants in the race are attempting to row more than 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua and Barbuda.

The race began earlier in December and will continue into the new year, meaning those involved celebrated Christmas at sea, including a festive dinner that may raise a few eyebrows.

Garman, the skipper of the Ocean Dadventure crew, said: “It’s been tough to consume the calories needed and the Christmas Day reindeer stew tasted much like a beef stew.

“Steve is favouring a reindeer soup whereas Neil and myself have more of a sweet tooth and keep our calories up with Jelly Babies and Haribo.

“There were pork scratchings and nuts also on the Christmas Day menu for their high calories. We each need to consume about 6,000 calories per day.

“We did take a half-bottle of whisky for Christmas Day but chose cans of fizzy drinks instead. While we’ve been lucky and haven’t experienced seasickness, we don’t fancy the alcohol.”

For Vafiadis, Christmas dinner was the least of her worries. Her first present was a power problem but it did not prevent her from enjoying gifts and cake later in the day.

“Waking up on Christmas morning to a complete power failure was not the best start but I managed to sort it out and know now what not to charge at night,” she said.

“It felt very odd to be away from family at Christmas. Talking to them on the phone was hard but I know it won’t be long until I see them at the finish. I then spent Christmas Day evening on para anchor as the winds picked up so much so I had to make sure I wasn’t getting pushed back east.

“Presents-wise, I had a few cards and some little gifts to make my journey better – chocolate, skincare items and a digital photo frame that had been loaded with so many different photos from my boyfriend … but mainly of my dog.

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“The Christmas cake was excellent. I waited until the afternoon and enjoyed it while sat on my oars just watching the waves.”

Ocean Dadventure and Vafiadis are raising money for a number of charities and good causes, including Prostate Cancer UK.

Vafiadis’s journey took on extra significance when her father, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago, died weeks before she began her voyage.

“When I’ve had a problem he’s always on my mind, telling me to take a step back and reassess everything, which always helps,” she said.