Rowers set to take on strait

Four Invercargill masters rowers were due to pit their modified row boat against the sea today in memory of a girl with leukaemia.

The team were to row a modified Olympic row boat across Cook Strait, leaving the Picton Rowing Club before dawn.

Their mission is to raise money for youth cancer charity CanTeen, in memory of Jess Wright, who was supposed to help them in the challenge. Wright’s uncle Ian Hamilton, former president of the Invercargill Rowing Club, said he had a deal with her to cross Cook Strait, and he was going to follow through. The Invercargill Rowing Club members, including Alister Murray, Eoin Harding and Robin Wilks, had an average age of 57 years.

Their quadruple sculls rowing boat was used in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 by the New Zealand team. It had been modified to cope with rough sea conditions, Hamilton said. ‘‘There’s a 12-volt bilge pump which goes pretty good. If we get swamped, that drains the water out.’’ There was also a breaker near the bow which would deflect waves,.

The team would take about 10 hours to cross Cook Strait, a distance of about 92 kilometres, which they would navigate using a GPS, Hamilton said.

About 40 people including club members, friends and family would either ride alongside in support boats, or wait at Wellington for their arrival.

‘‘We’ve been checking weather map available.’’ every

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