By JESSE GRAHAM
LESS than 2000 nautical miles remain between former Belgrave rower Tim Spiteri and Africa, as a world-record ocean row enters its final stages.
Mr Spiteri is currently on a carbon fibre boat, the Avalon, which departed from Western Australia on 11 June for a rowing journey to Africa.
In a blog update on 23 June, Mr Spiteri reported that the five-person crew is less than 2000 nautical miles from its destination, with good weather forecast for the next week.
“Everyone is in positive spirits despite fatigue and pain, but it’s being managed well,” he wrote.
His trip, however, has not been without its pitfalls – fellow rower, Shane Usher, had to be rescued from the boat after receiving a severe hot water burn that left his hamstring exposed earlier this month.
Mr Usher was rescued by the Nordic River, an ammonia transporter en route to Dampier, and has since posted that he is back in Melbourne and his burns are healing well.
Currently, the five-person crew have two people rowing at any one time, with a third steering the vessel and the others resting in shifts.
Mr Spiteri aims to raise $250,000 for MS Australia through the 8500 kilometre journey, which has never been completed.
His mum, Belgrave’s Rhonda Spiteri, lives with multiple sclerosis, and said that she kept track of Tim’s row daily online.
As a result of such a rigorous rowing schedule, Ms Spiteri said that Tim and his teammates had been coping with fatigue, sleep deprivation and even hallucinations.
“The row doesn’t stop – they never stop, and their bodies break down completely,” she said.
There are benefits to the journey, according to Mr Spiteri, who posted that the crew had an encounter with a 15-metre blue whale last week.
To keep track of Tim’s rowing journey, or to donate to MS Australia, visit www.timsvoyage.com/blog or facebook.com/TimsVoyage.
