David Murray, the former Software Bureau, Occam, and Wood for Trees sales director, has succeeded in his transatlantic world record quest and along with rowing partner Guy Rigby they have become the oldest people to row across any ocean.
With a combined age of 124 at the start of the race, the two-man team completed the 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic in their 24-foot rowing boat, The Entrepreneur Ship, this week.
The duo spent 53 days, 3 hours and 42 minutes at sea, rowing day and night, two hours on, two hours off every day and had to eat over 5,000 calories a day to replenish the energy spent on the oars.
Rigby, 68, and Murray, 56, set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on Sunday December 12. The row had slowed down with currents against them and they had to scrape barnacles from the hull to give themselves extra speed.
When asked by Sky News whether he was ever tempted to throw his rowing partner overboard, Murray said: “No, not all because I really needed him to row. If I had pushed out I would have had to row it alone.”
Rigby, who founded the Entrepreneurial Services Group at Smith & Williamson, added: “It was a pretty challenging event. We had our moments.”
The duo have already secured more than £600,000 in sponsorship for UnLtd, the charity that finds, funds and supports social entrepreneurs – enterprising people with solutions that change society for the better.
In 2020, the charity backed 662 social entrepreneurs 42% of whom identified as being from Black, Asian, or minority ethnic backgrounds, and/or having a disability.
Economists believe that entrepreneurs, and more particularly social entrepreneurs, will be critical for post-pandemic economic recovery. With unemployment rising and redundancies at their highest rate in over a decade the number of start-ups is expected to soar, with many new businesses looking to create enterprises that help change society for the better.
For more details on how you can support the initiative, visit the scheme’s website>
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