Former top cop rows Atlantic for FORCE

A former top Exeter policeman will spend Christmas Day in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean aboard a 38-foot boat.

Jim Nye (pictured above in red) is the ex Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall and is part of a 10-person crew rowing from Tenerife to Antigua.

They set off on December 1 are due to finish in mid-January nearly 3,000 gruelling miles, facing 20 foot waves and any help at least two days away.

Jim is raising money for FORCE and explains: “FORCE is an amazing local charity providing support to cancer sufferers and their families, including my own, as my mother has terminal cancer.

“I’ve always wanted to row an ocean. It’s kind of an extreme thing to do but because you need so much time I’ve waited until I’ve retired.”

Exhausting

The crew averages 12 hours of rowing per person per day, broken into three hour shifts. It’s a tough schedule that’s mentally and physically exhausting.

After completing the first 500 nautical miles Jim reported: “It is clear to me now that the Atlantic is bigger than the River Exe! Best bit is being on deck under the para anchor with the waves crashing over us, the tales of which I will bore the family with. Time on board has been fantastic fun if a little tiring!

“We have witnessed the most amazing sunsets at sea, made some great mileage. The crew is working well together. It would be nice to not need to but on our waterproof gear. Antigua here we come. Highlight of the week was singing sea shanties.”

The rowers survive on dried packet food, which they hydrate with hot water. There’s no fresh food. Drinking water comes from a desalination unit, converting sea water into fresh water. Every week to ten days at least two crew members go over the side of the boat and scrape the hull to make sure there are no barnacles and seaweed slowing the boat up.

Challenging

They have already encountered sea sickness, a broken rudder, jelly fish stings and flying fish hitching a ride!

“At its deepest point the sea is four or five miles deep so it is a big old place,” said Jim, who was looking forward to “40 plus sunsets, 40 plus sunrises, big skies, big nights, occasionally maybe the odd vessel that we’ll see but most of all I’m looking forward to challenging myself both physically and mentally and as I do so, raising money for a great cause, a great charity and I’m really proud to be doing it.

“I think my family think I’m mad but having done many silly events over the years, I guess they just get used to it.”

He has set himself a target of raising £5,000 for FORCE and is more that two thirds of the way there already.

You can sponsor him at James Nye is fundraising for FORCE Cancer Charity and follow his progress via https://www.rannochadventure.com/roxy-blog/atlantic-ocean-2024-25