Solo sailor braves Atlantic adventure
Published 20 May 2010 08:45
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By Sam Berkeley
Three thousand miles wide, 12,000 feet deep and racked with storms stirring up deadly waves - there can be few places on earth as hostile as the Atlantic Ocean.
It is not a place for the faint-hearted, yet one East Linton man is risking everything to embark on an epic voyage, sailing alone across the Atlantic from Britain to the USA, with just the water and the denizens of the deep for company.
Scott Turner, 43, who lives on Muirfield Court, is the only Scot confirmed to take part in the Jester Challenge, setting off from Plymouth on Sunday and racing to Newport, Rhode Island a trip of more than 3,300 miles.
Scott is a lifelong sailor but even he has never experienced anything like the difficulties he will face in his six-week crossing, with nothing but open ocean for company.
"It's the toughest challenge I will ever have done in my life and the toughest I ever will do in my life," he said.
Despite sailing since his childhood, including spending the last 30 years sailing at North Berwick, where he has been a member of the yacht club, Scott has never been on the water for so long and completing the mammoth journey will be no easy task.
"It's six weeks completely on my own," he said, "The longest journey I've ever done is the crossing from Norway.
"The concern is going to be how I'm going to deal with the solitude. I'm not concerned about my ability."
Scott, who has been practising as much as possible during the past year, is philosophical about the dangers ahead, saying: "When you're on the sea for six weeks you know you're going to get some bad weather so there's always the possibility you may never come back.
"But you could say the same thing about crossing the road."
Nevertheless, there can be no doubt of the danger he will face should his boat get into trouble.
With 40ft waves pounding a boat just 21ft in length, his vessel may have to stand up to some severe punishment.
And if worst comes to the worst and the boat sinks, he will be left at the mercy of the ocean until another ship can find him.
"If anything happens you're basically on your own," he explained. "We're not travelling in convoy so you're relying on passing ships. After launching the distress beacon you'd probably be picked up in about three days."
The intrepid adventurer will not be completely alone, however, as he will have a satellite phone and plans to phone his wife Lorraine every three days, allowing her to update his live blog.
The GPS system on his boat will also send a live signal of his position every 20 minutes.
Scott is one of about 100 sailors entered in the race, which takes place every four years and requires every competitor to sail solo, to use a boat no bigger than 30 feet and to power the boat only through wind and manual effort.
Although the event is a race, Scott, who is sailing in his Westerly Club Cruiser, Altamira (pictured), revealed that he would be happy just to complete such a mountainous task.
"I will be racing but realistically I certainly won't have the fastest boat in the field," he said, "I could win and it would be magic but just getting there is as good as winning it for me."
Despite some initial opposition from his family, Scott's parents, wife and two children, Nicole, 15, and 13-year-old Rebecca, are now firmly behind his decision to take part.
One part of the journey he will not be looking forward to, however, will be the food, with the boat stocked up with a six-week supply of dried food packets, as well as 70 litres of water.
The thought of living off such food is not a great comfort to Scott, who said: "They are what they are, which is something to put in your stomach and not much else.
"A week of that and a Dunbar fish supper is going to seem pretty special!"
Scott, a sales manager for Gaskell Mackay Contract Carpets - who have not only allowed him six weeks off but have also sponsored his venture - and a junior athletics coach with Dunbar Running Club, knows how he wants to celebrate at the end of his voyage.
"I'm going to have a really good shower," he said, "I've arranged for the boat to come back as cargo while I'll fly back to Scotland and when I get back I'm going to go out with my friends and have a really good knees-up!"
To follow Scott's progress visit his blog at www.scottsjesterchallenge.blogs pot.com.
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