Niall Macdonald: ‘Bitterly disappointed’ to delay trip. Pic: © NY2SY
A charity rower has been forced to postpone a solo rowing challenge between Stornoway and New York.
Niall Iain Macdonald says he is “bitterly disappointed” to have to delay the NY2SY challenge, but says he has no alternative.
In an announcement made on his website[1], the former TV and radio presenter says he is still “some way short” of the £100,000 he hoped to raise for a mental health charity.
He says: “It has now come to the point where, even if I was to find the money still needed tomorrow, I just wouldn’t have enough time to organise things to be ready in time for the proposed launch date next month.
“I am very close to being ready, and if I was able to delay my launch date then I know that I could get everything sorted. But being a solo rower I have a very narrow departure window and so postponing the whole project is the sensible and safe thing to do.”
Mr Macdonald says he is still committed to the NY2SY challenge, and hopes to complete it next year.
He was originally due to set off on the challenge in May 2011, but complications with funding and delays in delivery of the boat meant the challenge was put off until this year.
In 2008 Mr Macdonald successfully rowed 46 miles across the Minch, a difficult stretch of sea between the Outer Hebrides and the mainland. This latest venture is the equivalent of rowing across the Minch 70 times.
Only ten people have successfully rowed from west to east across the North Atlantic, but nobody has ever completed the route Mr Macdonald hopes to attempt.
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Charity rower postpones solo North Atlantic trip