Earlier this year Jake Still, who normally rows with Bradford and Bingley Rowing Club on the River Aire, decided to take on a more substantial challenge - rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic single-handed. Better still, he decided that he would use the experience to raise funds for The Aire Rivers Trust and the national Rivers Trust. We thank him for that generous offer and wish him well.
You can follow his adventures through the occasional blogs that appear at the bottom of this page.
Introducing this challenge, Jake said:
"I want to support the Rivers Trusts because as a rower, I am very closely connected to the river Aire and spend a lot of time rowing on it. Rowing for me is very therapeutic and is something I have come to enjoy doing. However, this experience is ruined when Yorkshire Water spill sewage directly into the Aire and it is not uncommon for plastic bottles to be floating down it as well. It is gotten so bad that we as a club cannot do capsize drills in our river anymore due to the pollution levels. Furthermore, it is not just water companies polluting our river, farmers are also having an impact. They cause excess nutrients to be added to the river and combine this with the hotter summers, you get algae blooms. Not only does this affect the ecosystem of the river, but it can also make it impossible to row on."
Jake's support will help us continue our work identifying specific sources of pollution and working to prevent those and return our great river to a healthier, more natural, state.
You can support the cause by donating on Jake's givestar page - and if you are a taxpayer remember to give your details to add 25% to your donation as Gift Aid.
Jake Still sets off on the World’s Toughest Row on 12th December. Last week, Jake arrived at the start at La Gomera in the Canary Isles and took delivery of his ocean rowing boat ‘Azula’ on Saturday. Checks assure us all that she has arrived in one piece and one of the jobs now is […]
Jake Still is rowing the Atlantic in December. He is concerned about pollution in the River Aire where he trains. There are many ways that sewage and plastics enter our watercourses and Jake shows us two that contribute to our rivers’ poor states. Have a look at his video, in which he visits a couple of examples of pollution on the river where he currently rows.
Earlier in December, I had the opportunity to travel down to La Gomera to see the race start line. It was exciting to be down there and see the marina with all the boats lined up in the water and how amazing to see the support from the locals with the race banners spread across the various local businesses such as restaurants.
At the end of next year, data scientist and rower Jake Still plans to embark on an almighty rowing challenge while fundraising to support the restoration of his beloved rivers back home. Spending up to 50 or so days at sea alone, he’s aiming row across the Atlantic solo. This is the first in his series of guest blog posts, in which he’ll keep us updated with his training and eventual race progress.
