Rowing to the Middle East

Adventurers Julie and Colin Angus plan to get from the Scottish highlands to Aleppo in Syria by using only human-powered amphibious rowboats.

The husband and wife team began the 6500km trip in March and have now completed the first leg. Crossing the English Channel, the duo are now working their way through the canals of France. The crossing took four hours and fifty-six minutes for the 41km distance. The record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel in a single was set by British rower Guin Batten. Batten completed the crossing in three hours fourteen minutes.

In their press release the couple described the crossing: “The weather and shipping congestion can slow us down significantly or even necessitate aborting our attempt. The weather forecast called for less-than-ideal conditions with winds blowing force 3-4 and gusting up to force five. With a stiff breeze blowing through the Port of Dover, Julie and Colin departed before dawn in an effort to complete the crossing before wind conditions intensified. The team were escorted by a safety vessel, as required by local regulations.”

This crossing is just one leg of the seven-month journey.

Now in France, the Angus’s are aiming to follow the traditional transportation routes that were used for migration and trade. Hoping to row the French canals, local laws have meant that they have had to use their bikes with the rowing boats in tow.

The couple are using two amphibious rowboats that they built and designed themselves for the trip and each boat carries a bicycle and trailer so the Angus’s can travel over land.

After following the French canals the Angus’s will go down the Danube Rivers then voyage through Eastern Europe, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean before rounding off their adventure in Syria.

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