The Row to Recovery

The Row to Recovery is an incredible account of triumph over adversity, telling the story of each man’s personal journey from the battlefield to Barbados and culminating in the near-disastrous trans-Atlantic crossing attempt which captured the British public’s imagination over the winter of 2011/12. They even received a satellite phone call from Prince Harry, broadcast live to a huge global audience, while in the middle of the Atlantic. Their incredible voyage was beset with horrendous physical, mental and technical difficulties which saw the crew forced onto emergency rations for 17 days when their water purifier broke. One crew member – above-knee amputee Rory Mackenzie – spent Christmas Day extracting pieces of shrapnel from his buttock as the exertion of the gruelling challenge almost proved too much. The crew’s traumatic and incident-packed crossing generated enormous media interest, including 16 appearances on ITV News, which peaked when they arrived in Barbados, after 50 days 23 hours and 12 minutes at sea, to be greeted by a huge crowd of friends, family and well-wishers led by an emotional Sir Cliff Richard. Their arrival made the front page of The Sunday Telegraph and generated worldwide interest. With their aim of raising £1 million for their wounded comrades and their families, as well as awareness of the issues they face, The Row to Recovery story is an inspirational, humbling and often harrowing account of bravery almost beyond belief. HB 291p