Team Gallagher Mammoth Row Underway

Team Gallagher began their bid this morning, November 27, to become the first Kiwi team to row from Sydney to Auckland harbour bridges.

Using their 10.5m boat named the Moana, the four-man team consisting of Nigel Cherrie (35) of Auckland, James Blake (24) of Dunedin, Wellingtonian Martin Berka (37), and Hamilton rower Andrew McCowan (28) aim to reach Auckland in around a month’s time.

However, team director Rob Hamill says that depending on the weather patterns, the 1,400 nautical mile (2,500km) journey could take anywhere from “three weeks to three months.”

After delaying the start of the expedition by a few days to wait for favourable conditions, the Team finally dropped their boat into the water at 9am local time (11am New Zealand time) at McMahons Point in Sydney. Making use of the high tide, they then rowed under the iconic Harbour Bridge, past the Sydney Heads and out into the open water of the Tasman Sea.

Nigel Cherrie, team leader, said just before departing: “It is quite surreal that after all the time spent preparing we're really about to embark on this adventure. It will be tough, fun, exhilarating and probably scary at the times but we can't wait to get stuck into it.”

Andrew McCowan said: “We have put everything into this row - more and more the closer we came to today. I am sure the feeling now of excitement will diminish a few days into it when the pain starts, but the feeling of arriving in Auckland will be amazing.”

For maximum speed, three crew members can row at a time while one rests and the team will use this formation when possible, instead of the standard two-on, two-off formation. To sustain the energy levels needed for the month long row each team member needs to consume 8,000 calories a day.

The team’s progress will be mapped daily using satellite positioning systems on www.teamgallagher.co.nz and there will be regular updates on www.facebook.com/teamgallagher and www.twitter.co/tweetthetasman.