Three taxi drivers will row across the Atlantic where they’ll contend with shocking weight loss, sleep deprivation and hallucinations in the “ultimate test of body and mind”.
Cabbies Daren Parr, Stuart Lockhart and Bob Barber begin their 3,200 charity voyage from Lanzarote to Cape Verde onto Antigua on January 3. It will take roughly 60 days to complete.
Skipper Daren, 56, from Blackheath, said: “Back in 2019 we were all fat, unhealthy cab drivers and had enough of it all so we decided to lose some weight and get fit.”
Rotherhithe 49-year-old and “baby of the group” Stuart had similar motivations: “Three years ago I was almost four stone heavier than what I am now. I don’t ever want to go back to those days as I have never been fitter than what I am now!”
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Others might have opted for the Adkins diet, but the trio took the extreme step of climbing Kilimanjaro twice – including Mount Meru the second time, sparking a yearning for adventure.
Daren said: “You get the taste for it all – I don’t want to go back to how I was. If I’ve got something to work towards, I’m not having that beer on a Sunday or eating that cream tart.
“I know it’s a bit of an extreme way of staying on the straight and narrow.”
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The team, none of which have any nautical experience, has had eight months training, significantly less than the two years recommended.
Bob Barber, 57, from Sidcup, said: “Having no experience of rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean, this will certainly be a test emotionally, physically and mentally.
“But isn’t that the reason why people do these sorts of things, to accept the challenge and to push themselves to the limit?”
More people have been into space than have completed the transatlantic trip, which sees competitors sleep and row in two-hour shifts.
Daren and the team will do the voyage ‘unsupported’ meaning they are alone in the ocean, with emergency medical support sometimes a five-day wait.
Possible dangers include capsizing if the boat’s self-righting system doesn’t work, injuries and ‘marlin strikes’.
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Marlins are 16ft-long fish with spear-like snouts that can pierce hulls with their bills while hunting fish, skewering sleeping crew members at 80mph.
Asked if he’s scared, Daren said: “Honestly, no I’m not. There are things that come with it that I ain’t gonna enjoy like being away from my family for the best part of three months.”
The crew also hope to enjoy amazing marine life, sunsets and unforgettable comradery. As for the toilet, it’s a “bucket and chuck-it” policy.
In 2021, the group’s Kilimanjaro teammate and fellow cabbie Rosh suffered a rehabilitating stroke, from which he is still recovering.
So after expenses, all money raised will go to the Stroke Association, as well as the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, and the Huruma Orphanage in Tanzania.
To donate visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cabbiesdoatlanticrow
There is still sponsorship space on the team’s boat. If you’re interested in getting your brand on the side, visit: https://cabbiesdoatlanticrow.com/
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