Epic across Pacific Ocean down to last six days   14 Jul 2014

University of Auckland

Epic across Pacific Ocean down to last six days

Tara Remington’s row across the Pacific Ocean is down to its last week.

The University of Auckland academic is rowing across the Pacific Ocean from Long Beach Los Angeles to Waikiki in Hawaii with American Paralympian Angela Madsen in their vessel the Spirit of Orlando.

They are now has just 430 miles or about six days till they reach Hawaii.

“It’s a pretty good feeling, that’s for sure,” Tara says.

The 4000 Km odyssey is to raise money for New Zealand girl Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman. Charlotte lost her arms and legs to meningitis as a baby in 2004. Now a ten-year-old, she needs on-going assistance with prosthetic limbs as she grows. Tara's row will also help raise enough money for Charlotte to attend Camp No Limits, a special camp for amputees and their families held in the United States each year. Angela, a former US marine, is also using the row to raise money for wounded American war veterans.

You can donate to the cause at www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/RowingforCharlotte

Despite their good progress Tara was devastated to hear of Trans-Tasman kayaker Scott Donaldson’s rescue off the coast of Taranaki last week.

“I feel for him, I really do. My heart just breaks for him; I absolutely know what it’s like.”

In Tara’s first ocean row, the Trans–Atlantic Rowing Race from the Canary Islands to the West Indies in 2005, she and rowing partner Iain Rudkin completed 3518 km of the of the 4800 km race and had spent 47 days at sea before the boat started to take on water and then capsized forcing them to abandon ship and require rescue.

“To be so close and have it taken away from you, I know exactly how he’s feeling. I just hope he keeps his head held high and is proud of what he's done.”

In the past two weeks Tara and Angela have had their own share of problems at sea.

“We’ve had massive seas and some rogue waves.”

One wave hit just as the pair was swapping shifts and Tara was settling in to take her turn at rowing.

“It threw me all the way into the bow and almost overboard. I thought my God, with ten days to go we’re going to capsize.”

Luckily they were able to bail themselves out of trouble and continue the row.

Other recent dramas include Tara being hit in the chest by a baby squid in the middle of a rowing shift and hundreds of flying fish leaping out of the waves at them as they row.

But the girls have also been inspired by the recent rowing success of the Kiwi rowing team at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne. The Kiwi teams picked up six gold, a silver and a bronze at their most successful regatta ever.

Both Tara and Angela are very excited about seeing their families. Tara’s wife Rebecca and children Jade and Seb left Auckland during the weekend and headed to Hawaii to meet her.

Tara has missed Jade’s twelfth birthday during the row so recorded a video message for her to watch while she was at sea.

Tara, a Waiuku resident and lecturer at the Faculty of Education, first got involved with Charlotte’s charity through the Meningitis Trust in the 2007 Atlantic Rowing Race, and now her daughter Jade is Charlotte’s pen-pal.

Visit www.tararemington.weebly.com for more information on Tara and her Pacific Row 2014.
Make a donation to Charlotte at: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/RowingforCharlotte
You can also track their progress at https://share.delorme.com/AngelaMadsen

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