The Long Row Home

After 80 days at sea, facing wind, rain, tides, lightening, live firing ranges, entangled fishing gear and ships on a collision course with them Mother Nature has got one more storm to throw at Allan and Mhairi. After they reached Tobermory Storm Lillian rolled into the west coast of Scotland and forced them to make the hardest decision about The Long Row Home yet. Faced with pausing their row All...

Lots and lots has happened since the last update from Boudicea. As they left Gigha loaded with some sound local knowledge from a fisherman the row has been a battle of tides, weather, getting tangled in fishing gear and being anchored just below Allan’s favourite whisky distillery on Jura.   While they were dodging the weather, they also had to navigate around the 3rd largest whirlpool in the...

When the going gets tough, the tough get rowing. What should have been celebrations and joy at being back in Scottish water has been some of the toughest hours of The Long Row Home yet.   Physically and mentally the challenging tides and conditions around the Mull of Kintyre have proven to be almost, but not quite, enough to end the row. But Allan and Mhairi have picked themselves out of thei...

Allan, Mhairi and Boudicea have made it back to Scotland! Rowing up the east coast of Ireland has been great. Good conditions and weather meant that Allan and Mhairi were able to keep a very steady 6 hours on 6 hours rowing pattern all the way up the coast. After successfully crossing the busy ports of Dublin and Belfast they arrived in Red Bay on the Antrim Coast to be met by one of the volunteer...

Allan and Mhairi have made it across The Irish Sea, but it threw everything at them. The crossing from Ramsey Sound to Rosslare Harbour tested them and Boudicea to their physical and mental limits. This without doubt has been the toughest crossing so far and not something either of them was looking forward to. Every stroke of the crossing presented challenges to them but safety wasn’t found o...

The latest leg of The Long Row Home took Allan and Mhairi from Newquay due north across The Bristol Channel to Wales. A 2 day crossing that kept them on the oars for over 70 miles rotating 2 hours on and 2 hours off. After a big swell pushing them north from Newquay the sea conditions eased and it bought out incredible amounts of wildlife. They have had more dolphin encounters, with pods circling...

Talking to us from Newquay Allan, Mhairi and Boudicea have made it round Land’s End, but not without more challenges. Just as they were making their run for Lizard point and Land’s End, it turned out the Lizard had one last sting in the south coast tail for them – super strong tides. To stop themselves being flushed east again they had to row hard for 3 hours before being able to get some final sh...

Getting the right weather conditions for rounding Lands Ends is vital. So it has taken a lot of planning and watching for the right weather window for Allan and Mhairi to reach this milestone of their row. After leaving the River Yealm anchorage they pushed for Lands Ends but their weather window was closing fast. A decision had to be made on pause or keep going. Despite the psychological impact o...

In some of the best rowing conditions yet since leaving Wick Allan and Mhairi have made fantastic progress along the south coast. After leaving Poole Harbour they make it to Lulworth Cove and anchor Boudicea where both jump overboard in turn for a swim, a wash and to scrub Boucidea’s hull. Progress is paused for a short while when they approach a live firing range and are met with the words, Stop...

Fear has two meanings - You can either Forget Everything And Run or you can Face Everything And Rise. The last passage from Newtown Creek to Poole Harbour has tested Allan and Mhairi to their limits. Drawing on all their experience of time at sea and working in pressured environments they had to face one of the most daunting things of the row so far. Tidal overfalls in the pitch dark. The noise fr...

It’s been a week since Allan and Mhairi entered Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight to seek shelter from the southerly winds. After 7 days going nowhere their spirits remain incredibly high and they have had time to reflect on The Long Row Home so far.   As well as the rowing they reflect on how the row is changing them and their outlook on life for when they return to life on land. There is a...

Yesterday was Allan’s birthday. Allan and Mhairi’s departure from Selsey got delayed by a snagged anchor which meant they missed the tide. So they spent a few hours doing boat maintenance and some housekeeping but were treated to an acrobatic spitfire display. A couple of very special visits have really lifted their spirits. Allan’s brother and his family waved flags at them from the beach and Nat...

Anchored off Selsey Bill, near the RNLI lifeboat station, Allan and Mhairi’s attention is suddenly drawn to their VHF radio as they hear a Mayday relay call about a boat in distress. The crew are preparing to abandon ship. Hearing this just drills home to them the reason why they are doing the Long Row Home and the importance of the charities they are supporting. Despite both being RNLI crew the r...

After the last podcast update from near Cromer, Allan and Mhairi have whistled down and around Norfolk. Now they are entering some of the busiest shipping channels in the world as they pass the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, before crossing the mouth of the Thames estuary and the channel pinch point at Dover. Progress is dictated by the tides, which, in shallow water and over sandbanks can chang...

From living the dream in our last update to fighting the weather again. Facing the worst conditions so far of their journey Allan and Mhairi continue down past the Las Vegas of Yorkshire, Scarborough they round Flamborough head and then set their sights on crossing across to Cromer. But the wind and tide have other plans for them. The next few hours become a battle to catch the tide and make progr...

With both Allan and Mhairi on the oars and following tide Boudicea is flying south down the Yorkshire coastline. After a tough few days it’s great to be making good fast progress and not be wearing our waterproofs all the time. These are the conditions that we dreamt of for The Long Row Home Track our progress with our Yellow Brick Tracker: https://www.thelongrowhome.co.uk/keep-track/ Support The...

Allan and Mhairi managed to avoid a collision with a passing yacht, but instead they got hit by the dreaded seasickness. At anchor in a spot they lovingly describe as the Washing Machine, Allan, Mhairi and Boudicea are being tossed and turned around in all directions…and the cold sweats start to appear. Thankfully, that didn’t last too long and visits from Tynemouth Lifeboat and a VHF chat with a...

Still stuck at anchor at Holy Island Allan and Mhairi have had some time to reflect on the positive impact that everyones messages of support are making to them. They are making a massive difference. Being stuck at anchor and confined to the cabin when you want to be out rowing is really challenging, so please keep your support coming.  The weather should be easing and they are hoping to catc...

After passing the 200 mile mark it’s time for Mhairi and Allan to celebrate with another bar of chocolate. But reaching this point hasn’t been easy and we join them hunkered down in the cabin. After passing St. Abbs head they pushed on to find shelter at Holy Island off the Northumberland coast. The sea crossing to get there threw it all at them, big waves in the dark, surging tides pushing them o...

Lifting anchor just after 4am Allan and Mhairi have made a dash across the Firth of Forth, leaving Arbroath and heading south to St. Abbs head. The first few hours needed some careful navigation through a minefield of creel buoys. While Mhairi is on the oars (again!) Allan updates us on their position is about 6 miles offshore with moderate to rough sea conditions and takes joy at the beauty of th...

It’s the official new snackpack unboxing day! After stringing the last food bag out for a few extra days Allan gets all excited over the new chocolate bars. Meanwhile, at shelter in Lunan Bay, just south of Montrose Mhairi and Allan have taken the time for a good wash of themselves and their kit. They’re waiting for a weather window to make a long sea crossing from Arbroath down to St. Abbs. Track...

It has been a tough couple of days for Allan and Mhairi on Boudicea. Battling strong wind and tide conditions has meant both of them on the oars at times to make progress. But their spirits remain high.  After a visit from Aberdeen RNLI Lifeboat to say hello they have continued south past Stonehaven and Montrose where they have been visited by pilot whales breaching beside the boat and a pod...

After years of preparation, the time has finally come. Allan and Mhairi let go their lines in Wick Harbour and navigate Boudicea out into the North Sea to start The Long Row Home. Joined by friends, family, well-wishers on the shore and a small flotilla of boats (including a very noisy RNLI lifeboat) we’re onboard with them as they leave. After the celebrations are over and they get into their str...

We’re Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross, also known as Stormy and Steth – join us on an extraordinary journey as we embark on a world-record attempt to circumnavigate Great Britain by rowing boat! Departing from Wick, in the far North of Scotland in June 2024, our 60 day journey spans approximately 2000 nautical miles of coastline. The Long Row Home podcast will take you onboard our our seven-metre-long...