Lone rower sets sights on Iceland

A LONE rower on his way from Scotland to Iceland is sheltering in Lerwick waiting for a five day weather window to reach the Faroe Islands.

Adventurer Chris Duff, from Port Angelus, in Washington State, said it had been a long held dream to row single-handedly to the land of volcanoes and hot springs.

A solo kayaker for almost 30 years, Duff became the first man to circumnavigate Britain in a sea kayak in 1986.

Now the 54 year old has built a 19 foot semi-closed ocean-going rowing boat called Northern Reach from marine grade plywood and fibre-glass, which, he says, is capable of doing four knots per hour, and would right itself if knocked over.

Duff set off from Thurso on 18 June and after an Orkney stopover made his way to Fair Isle where is stayed for a few days.

He is now in Lerwick stocking up on provisions and fixing a solar panel before making the big push across the 170 miles of open water between Shetland and Faroe.

Duff reckons he could do the leg in five days, but will only set off once Fair Isle weatherman Dave Wheeler has given him the all clear that wind conditions are in his favour.

Relaxing in Lerwick on Thursday, Duff said: “I have done years of extreme sea kayaking and I feel I have done everything I can. Now I want to do something different, but in a small boat.

“It is a personal challenge and it is in an environment that I love and that I am very respectful of.

“There is no guarantee that I will be successful, everything is weather dependent. But I can be prepared – I think I built a good boat, I am mentally and physically ready for the first of the two large crossings, and now I have to wait for the right weather,” he said.

Duff said he was likely to follow the advice he had received locally and will set off from the north end of Yell at the weekend or early next week.

He has until the middle of September to reach Iceland. His journey can be followed at www.olypen.com/cduff/