Seven Canadians set to Row the Atlantic

Facing an incredible physical and mental challenge that will push them to their limits, seven Canadians are among 15 people preparing to row, row, row a boat all the way into the record books.


If successful, the month-long expedition will take the group across the Atlantic Ocean and into the echelon of adventurer's lore.

Not to mention the Guinness Book of Records.

The crew is trying to set a new record for the fastest east-west crossing of the Atlantic. The current mark is 33 days. It would be quite a feat for anyone but especially for Zach Scher, a budding adventurer who has no previous rowing experience. Talk about going from zero to sixty.

"It's sort of a lifelong dream of mine," Scher said of etching his name on a world record. "It's just a great adventure and good life experience." At 22, the University of Guelph student is the youngest of the bunch. The epic journey begins on the Moroccan coast on or about Jan. 7. The group hopes to arrive in Barbados in 32 days or less, charting almost 5,000 km. A month on the open sea will pit them against the elements, sleep deprivation, weight loss, sea sickness and overall physical and mental exhaustion.

"There is going to be a lot of strain on the body and unbelievable wear and tear," said Dylan White, a 24-year-old field biologist from Guelph. "The undercutting of food and sleep, some people would already call that a living hell." White said the route isn't the shortest in distance but is the fastest because of ocean currents and prevailing trade winds. A GPS device will keep them on course. Scher and White joined the excursion through friend Nigel Roedde, who is on the team with his dad.

Scher said his preparation began about nine months ago with almost-daily workouts that are being scaled back as the launch date approaches. He spends hours on a simulated rowing machine in a gym three days a week. The other days are spent pumping iron. White said the physical training is helping him to prepare for the mental grind he'll encounter aboard the swaying boat. The biggest uncertainty, however, is the weather and its potential to be unforgiving. The expedition dodges hurricane season.

"The only concern is the weather. We're in an unsupported situation and far from land, so we have to be very wary of the weather," said White, who also lacks rowing experience but has plenty of energy. Fellow crew members told Scher and White to be prepared for anything, including powerful storms, during their roughly 800 hours at sea.

"They said it's going to be grueling, one of the hardest experiences of our lives," Scher said.The crew is making the trip aboard Big Blue, a specially-built rowing catamaran billed as the world's largest at 12 metres and the first of its kind. If they encounter bad weather the entire team can cram inside a cabin or pod located between a pair of four-seat hulls. Being in a confined space will help the rowers to get to know each other. There are links between some but most are strangers.