Intrepid sea row for three men in pretty small boat

The three friends are planning to row from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Ramsey on the Isle of Man – and back again – to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

One of the crew is Dale Deacon, 46, from Bradford, who is managing director of Watermill Press Ltd. He said: “My niece, Katy, who is 31, was diagnosed with MS about 12 months 
ago and I wanted to undertake a big challenge to try and 
raise some money for the MS Society – who have helped 
Katy and her family 
tremendously since her diagnosis.

“What better than to grab two friends, a 21ft rowing boat and attempt to row from Cumbria to the Isle Of Man and back.”

The others are Mike Burton, 52, from Bridlington, MD of AB Graphics Ltd, and Tom Salt, 28, from London.

They have all sailed before but have yet to do any ocean rowing. It could take about 35 hours to complete the round trip.

“There is a tiny covered cabin in the bow of the boat so in between rowing shifts we’ll try and heat up some food and try to get an hour or so sleep,” said Mr Deacon.

They have a target of £2,500 to raise. Go to www.justgiving.com/isleofmanrow