Former players make waves rowing the Atlantic for a rugby charity
Four friends have taken to the seas, participating in the World’s Toughest Row to raise money for a grassroots charity set up by one of the crew.
Dan Wooler, Paul Adams, Glynne Dunn, and Dan Lewis entered the 3,000-mile race with the aim to raise £200,000 split across two charities, star* and The Mustard Tree.
Rugby has been part of Wooler’s life for many years. He played at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities and later on at Chew Valley RFC, the same club where he has been coaching for the past 15 years. It is at this club that Wooler, along with fellow Chew Valley members, set up the star* scheme in 2020.
It is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of those who have experienced childhood trauma by getting them involved in grassroots rugby.
Wooler said: “We get to choose our challenges. Young people on the scheme don’t have that luxury.”
The team, known as The Mayflower crew, have hit their fundraising target, which will fund a further 300 young people and families on the scheme. The charity has also gained support and recognition among the rugby community, winning the Wasps Legends Annual Grant at the end of last year.
Wooler is not the only crew member to have a rugby background, with both Adams and Dunn having played at Plymstock RFC. Dunn has continued his involvement and coached at the club for 15 years.
The race started from La Gomera, the Canary Islands, on December 12th, where 38 boats set off for an average of 40 days at sea. Currently in 12th place, The Mayflower have less than 730 nautical miles until the finish at English Harbour, Antigua.
During the race the crew takes turns rowing two hours on and two hours off, can experience up to 20ft waves, and will together row over 1.5 million oar strokes.
Find out more about the charity and The Mayflower crew here https://www.themayflower.co.uk/
