On December 12th, four soldiers from the British Army left the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands in an attempt to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua – with one of them originating locally, from Coleford.

Force Atlantic are taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Race, the premier rowing event in the world, in the hope of raising £100,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund.

The team got off to a rocky start, setting off in very heavy weather and what is de- scribed as a ‘baptism of seas’. As a result, they suffered damage to their automatic tiller, making zero progress for the initial eight hours and leaving them lagging behind the other competitors.

They are currently three weeks into the competition and are competing against thirty other teams, all of whom hope to be the fastest to complete the crossing.

Colin Coombes informed The Journal about the challenge: the soldiers are Lt Col Rich Hall, Captain Alex Walsh, Captain Chris Hames, and Private Kian Helm.

Captain Chris Hames was born in Coleford to Mervyn and Pat Hames (née Coombes), where he lived until he was thirteen, attending Bishop Henderson and Writhlington Schools. The family then moved to Yate, where Chris joined the cadets.

After leaving Chipping Sodbury School, he joined the Army and became a physical training instructor in the Physical Training Corp. He worked his way through the ranks, and became a Regimental Sergeant Major, which encouraged him to apply for Late Entry Officer Training, where he was awarded a place at Sandhurst, and subsequently attained the rank of Captain.

During his thirty-year career, Chris has served in Northern Ireland, Iraq, during the first Gulf War, Cyprus

and Bosnia, followed by Kuwait with American Troops during the second Gulf War, and then Afghanistan.

Three years ago, Chris successfully completed a 24-hour mountain walking challenge, raising £4,000 for a family in his local area whose daughter had suffered a catastrophic accident.

The estimated six to seven weeks rowing across the Atlantic is one of the biggest challenges that he has ever undertaken, having to deal with waves the size of houses, sometimes hitting in the pitch black of the night.

Chris and his team are currently facing hazards such as exposure, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion. The first five days were overwhelmed with sea sickness but their relentless efforts kept them going as they managed to maintain speed 24/7, with a two hour on and two hour off rowing/resting pattern.

Pat Hames, Chris’ mother, told The Journal: “They have to consume 5,000 calories a day to keep their bodies energised, because of how much they are using up to stay in the race. But this is appearing difficult for them due to sea-sickness, time constraints and the lack of appetising food; resulting in weight loss.

“Chris had his 49th birthday on 3rd January. To celebrate, his teammates rigged up a solar shower especially for him as a treat, because they don’t have any access to one.

“They are now over halfway and the end is in sight.

“The lads know they will see their loved ones again within two weeks, which gives them huge motivation.

“During the experience, they will confront many of their deepest fears, but also discover aspects of themsevles that they had never known before. They will certainly emerge different men to when they started, and we are all looking forward to meeting them again safe and sound.”

For more information and to follow the race, visit: www.taliskerwhiskyatlantic challenge.com