#Rowing - Four intrepid British women were rescued from the Mid Atlantic in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 14 February) after capsizing during a rowing record attempt for charity.
As the Guardian reports, Gemma Chalk, Clare Lanyon, Jane McIntosh and Olivia Wilson were aiming to break the women's rowing speed record from the Canary Islands to Barbados when they lost their oars and GPS system after a series of capsizes some 400 nautical miles off Cape Verde.
But the women were able to get in contact with the UK Coastguard by satellite phone and activate an emergency beacon to direct passing vessels to their location – and they were finally picked up by a Canada-bound bulk carrier that diverted course to go to their aid.
“This shows you how important it is to be prepared for your voyage and have several means of contacting the coastguard or raising an alarm, even if you are not in UK waters," said UK Coastguard duty controller Ian Guy.
The Guardian has more on the story HERE.
