Dadli Explorers Atlantic Dash

Hi, we are the Ocean Rowing Crew the Dadli Explorers!

We are a crew of 4 young adults from Antigua who, in January 2024, will be attempting to row 3,200 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to Jolly Harbour in Antigua as part of the first-ever transatlantic ocean rowing event, the "Atlantic Dash."

AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We are not taking part to race, we are taking part so that we can test ourselves and explore what we are capable of achieving, to experience the beauty of life out on the open water and to work as a team, sharing this incredible adventure together and knowing that we have each other's backs.

We will be using the row as a platform to reach out to other young Antiguans and demonstrate what can be achieved with hard work and determination, to inspire them to challenge themselves and become the next generation of ambassadors for Antigua.

Sports and Education Minister Daryll Matthew will be working with us when we return to Antigua, putting together an itinerary that will enable us to visits schools across the Island and engage with children of all ages, telling them about the experiences we have had and how we managed to overcome the obstacles that we will face, not only during the row, but also getting to the start line.

The Dadi Explorers are all aged between 18 and 24 and are a mixed crew, keen to showcase both men and women working together on a level platform. In fact, when we arrive at Jolly Harbour we will be the youngest crew to have ever rowed any ocean, earning ourselves a world record for Antigua in the process.

We are also using the row as a way to raise awareness of and donations for two Antiguan Charities. The National Sailing Academy and the ST John Hospice. Any money raised above the costs of the challenge will be divided equally between these two amazing organisations.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

The cost of putting together an Ocean Rowing project are high.

The Atlantic Dash organisers are working with Sheer Rocks to cover the cost of entering the event (USD $22,000) and they have also arranged to provide the boat we will be using to train with and cross the Atlantic (USD $50,000). They have even arranged to cover the cost of the team flying from Antigua to Lanzarote (USD $3,500).

In spite of this, we still need to raise around USD $50,000 to cover things like.....

The Challenge

We will push off from Marina Rubicon in Lanzarote and not set foot on land again until we reach Jolly Harbour some 50 days later.

During our time at sea each rower will take over 1,000,000 oar strokes and consume around 250,000 calories.

We will row in pairs using a 2 hour shift pattern which means that we will row for 2 hours then rest for 2 hours, then row for 2 then rest for 2 hours........ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, never getting more than 90 minutes sleep at a time.

We will have to deal with exhaustion, dehydration, salt water sores, massive weight loss and we will have no personal space, never being more than 2 metres away from another member of the crew.

There is no support boat, no stopping to go to the shop and pick up food or visiting the Doctors to deal with any medical issues. Everything that we need for a safe and successful crossing will have to be packed into our 8.5 m x 2 m boat when we leave...

We will face whatever mother nature chooses to test us with. Blistering heat, strong winds and huge seas are all possibilities during the crossing.

THE BOAT

We are using the same boat as Team Antigua in 2017/18 and the Antigua Island Girls (Photo above) 2018/19 used for their Atlantic crossings with the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

The boat will be our life support system while we are on the Atlantic and although she is small she was designed specifically for this task, even being able to self right herself if we capsize.

The kit on board includes a watermaker, VHF Radio, Chart Plotter, Autohelm, AIS system, E.P.I.R.B, Life Raft, safety harnesses, life jackets and a full medical kit.

She has everything that you would expect to find on a yacht except a mast!

The Crew

Terriqua Christopher

Camberya Akaya Barkoye

Update: Due to having to delay our ocean crossing until 2024 two of our crew have unfortunately had to pull out.

Terriqua and Lily will be involved with an expo at the National Sailing Academy on the 10th and 11th of November, during which they will be looking for 2 new crew members to join them.

We are extremely proud to be able to represent Antigua in this event but our challenge will end before it has even begun if we cannot raise the money that we need to get to the start line.

Please help us achieve this dream

Thanks in Advance

Team Dadli Explorers!