News / Icelandic rowers
A GROUP of Icelandic rowers are making good progress on their journey from Orkney to Faroe having just passed Shetland around 100 miles to the west.
Svanur Wilcox, Kjartan Jakob Hauksson, Eyþór Eðvarðsson and Einar Örn Sigurdórsson aim to row unsupported across the Atlantic from Norway to Canada during the summer of 2013 and 2014.
They arrived in Orkney on 17 June following a seven day crossing from Norway in difficult weather conditions.
Encouraged by a favorable weather forecast, they set off from Kirkwall for the second leg of their adventure on Saturday morning.
They hope it will take five days for them to row the 240 miles in their custom built rowing boat Auður.
On Monday, two days into their journey, they had managed to cover more than half of the distance.
An entry on their Facebook site from Sunday night said: “The crew phoned to let me know that they are all in good spirits.
“They have the wind on their backs and are making really good speed. They are very much looking forward to reaching the Faroe Islands.”
The four Icelanders are following the route of the Vikings who colonised Iceland 1,000 years ago and then went on to settle in Greenland and New Foundland.
Their progress can be followed at: http://northatlanticrow.com/the-route/
Meanwhile the two kayakers making a voyage from Shetland to Norway arrived safely in Bergen, on Saturday.
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