Worcester Buoys

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑶𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒚 🌊

To mark , here's a throwback from when the Worcester Buoys spent over forty days rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

The reason? To raise as much money as possible for Acorns Children's Hospice and their family friend, Jack Dyer.

While the Buoys raised awareness for Jack Dyer, World Oceans Day is all about raising awareness for the vital support needed to protect our beautiful blue planet and the importance of our oceans.

The t-shirts we produced for the Buoys were made with recycled polyester, which forms part of our Recycle, Reduce, Repurpose initiative. Recycled polyester reduces the need for virgin plastic, and uses plastic removed from the oceans.

It’s time to make a difference.

BACK TO SCHOOL

We had the pleasure of talking to Year 7 & 8 at our old school during their morning assembly. It was a funny feeling knowing that was us 13 years ago, and at times it seems we haven't changed much...apart from Matt's facial hair!

We tried to give them some insight into what living onboard was like, how big the ocean really was and some of the challenges we had to overcome.

The school is focussing on the importance of ambition and humility and there's no greater leveller than the Atlantic Ocean!

Thanks so much for having us, Kings. We look forward to coming back again soon.

BRILLIANT BROADWAS

A huge shout out to the kids at Broadwas Primary School (Matt's old stomping ground) who raised a massive £500 by running a Christmas Fayre for while we were at sea.

We popped into school this morning for a Q&A with years 5&6, and to catch up with Matt's old teacher Niky Waller who has been keeping the class up to date with our antics!

We can't wait to hand the cash over to Acorns tomorrow in person.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

An exciting day with our first in-person TV appearance on BBC Midlands Today!

Thanks to Mary Rhodes and the team for having us on - you can catch the full interview tomorrow, Wednesday 7th Feb.

THANK YOU

While I am sure it has been blindingly obvious Matt and I have had a tremendous amount of help throughout the last few months with organising interviews, logistics with training and countless favours being pulled to make the row come together, for which we are unbelievably grateful, we are especially indebted to a couple of individuals who we would like to thank.

⚡️The weather god ⚡️

Motivated initially by the cost saving aspect of asking my dad to text us some directions across the ocean, I think it's fair to say we could not have asked for a better weather router. Armed with a premium subscription and false promises of stable weather systems, for 40 days he tirelessly updated the windy app wherever he was, mapping and modelling our next 72 hours day and night, refreshing the tracker and helping us navigate the (extremely) changeable conditions and winds that hampered and helped us across. Without this help it is safe to say we would still be out on the ocean!

👩‍💻The social media manager 👩‍💻

As you are all aware the fantastic was handed the reins while we were out there and you have seen what a fantastic job she has done! Often with very scant content provided by us on our pay as you go data package, time and again she has managed to whip up fantastic posts and kept you all informed of our highs and lows. Our (her) posts have been reshared countless times and we cannot be more grateful for taking the Instagram game from zero to hero as soon as we were out of the picture! You'll be pleased to know her screen time has now dropped to a fraction of what it was and she's having a very well earned pina colada as I write.

Matt and I will keep you updated with our final bits of fundraising and might even do a wrap up talk in the shire to show you some previously unseen footage of the journey (nasty blisters and bums included!) and a q&a if there is any interest.

For now have a fab week and thank you everyone for your donations and support!

As they are now back on dry land, it’s time for me to officially hand the reins back to the buoys in charge.

I can hand on heart say Matt & George are two of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. I’ve watched them prepare intensively for this challenge over the past year. From endless weekends in Portsmouth to organising fundraising events, it’s been an all-consuming journey. That’s also before they even got on the water!

The ocean itself was a huge challenge, but I think maybe a bigger one than expected. I always spoke to both buoys individually (got to share that love!) and it’s only right to acknowledge the huge lows as well as highs. The whales and moonrises were obviously amazing but the seasickness, windy conditions and very mouldy cabins (I’ve seen them since and can vouch that’s a true story) didn’t make for an easy crossing.

But, the one thing that never waivered was their attitude. In any conversation, I rarely heard either of them complain. They have remained the chilled, cheeky, loveable buoys we all know throughout the process.

Their dedication to do this insane challenge for has also never faltered - the cause has been at the heart of every late night, every early morning and all decisions in between.

The care they have - for acorns, for the fleet, for each other, for everyone around them - is a hugely special trait. Even on their tough days, George would never fail to ask me how I was. If I ignored his question for worry of an auto-tiller issue or something similar, he would ask me again to answer the question. And Matt - his reaction to Dale & Sharon (Jack Dyer’s parents and Matt’s family friend, whom they rowed in memory of) at the finish line says it all.

It has been an absolute pleasure to run this account for them. Whilst quite the time consuming project (apols to those in my life/work that have dealt with me chatting nothing but content!), I’m so glad to have had it to keep me preoccupied. But most importantly, it made me really feel part of their journey and I hope it has for you, too.

Anyway… enough from me!! Back to the people who matter - Matt & George, you’re the best. I love you both a lot.

- Willow # # #

GEORGE FARMILOE

After 40 days on the ocean, our buoys are back on land, looking some might say better than ever?!

I always think it must be quite hard to summarise such a mammoth event and I guess what happened on that ocean will ultimately stay between the Atlantic and the buoys, but to give us a bit of an insight, I asked them those questions we all really want the answers to…

START WEIGHT: 88kg
END WEIGHT: 83kg

HIGHEST HIGH: coming off parachute anchor and having the most incredibly still, peaceful overnight conditions and being able to finally get some really good rowing in
LOWEST LOW: deploying the parachute anchor incorrectly at 3am, hauling it back in against the whole weight of the boat, only to do it incorrectly again and lose about 5 hard earned miles as a result overnight

BEST MEAL: Spag Bol
WORST MEAL: Mushroom Risotto

BEST TIME OF DAY: Sunset
WORST TIME OF DAY: 4pm sweating in my cabin during the off shift

MOST MISSED FROM LAND: dry clean bed and a reasonable, temperate climate
WILL MISS MOST FROM THE OCEAN: tranquility of the nights (when it wasn’t blowing a gale) with the epic starry skies and shooting stars

BIGGEST LESSON: For me it is my support network and the generosity of everyone who has given their time and effort into what we are doing. I realise I have the most incredible family and friends around me who have helped endlessly to make it all work, and who I have been able to lean on (sometimes very heavily) during the last year and also on the water - without which none of this would have been possible and for that I am truly grateful!

MATT BLADEN

After 40 days on the ocean, our buoys are back on land, looking some might say better than ever?!

I always think it must be quite hard to summarise such a mammoth event and I guess what happened on that ocean will ultimately stay between the Atlantic and the buoys, but to give us a bit of an insight, I asked them those questions we all really want the answers to…

WEIGHT BEFORE: 74.5kg
WEIGHT AFTER: 68.5kg

HIGHEST HIGH: Other than ripping our flares at the finish line, seeing our first pod of whales. It was a huge shock and we couldn’t believe what we were seeing, even more so how close they were to the boat and the enormity of them.
LOWEST LOW: Boxing day, which had all of the lows that Christmas day had but without any of the highs. We felt an insurmountable distance from dry land and our families, conditions were slow and it was scorching hot with about a month left to go.

BEST MEAL: Beef Stew with Potatoes
WORST MEAL: Sweet and Sour Chicken

BEST TIME OF DAY: first night shift of each day. No fatigue, none of the heat and amazing nights sky
WORST TIME OF DAY: middle of the day heat, swearing in my cabin, trying to rest with a battery fan aimed at my face

THING MOST MISSED FROM LAND: the cold, we just couldn’t escape the heat in the day and we knew it would come back again the following day too
THING YOU’LL MISS MOST FROM THE OCEAN: listening to harry potter, being immersed in music and stories. Every day I was excited to get back to Hogwarts that night!!

BIGGEST LESSON: “control the inputs, accept the outputs”
For me it was all about patience, on day 3 I had already realised that thinking about the end was futile as my brain just couldn’t comprehend the enormity of what lay between us and the finish line. I wrote on my cabin wall:

Control the inputs, accept the outputs. Be patient.

I looked at that every time I had doubts, missed home or entered a low point. I’ve realised that life is not to be rushed through and all you can do is control the now. Much like most people I’ve spent too much effort worrying about the future and the uncontrollable and this experience has made me realise how silly it is to operate like that mentally!

They've done it!! 💪🌟
The Worcester Buoys have completed the World's Toughest Row 👏👏👏
📸 World's Toughest Row

💥THE FINISH LINE💥

40 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes later…. the buoys have landed in Antigua!!

Last night marked the end of their insane journey, rowing 3000 miles unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean.

Rowing relentless in shifts of just 2 hours on and 2 hours off, it’s been a long 40 days out at sea and the journey has not been an easy one. The buoys have faced broken oar-gates, damaged safety equipment, mouldy chocolate bars (😜), seasickness and some of the worst conditions the challenge has ever seen. But still, they’ve powered through, keeping positive and bringing the infectious energy they’re known for every step of the way.

And, of course, with the lows come immense highs - they spotted pods of whales, dolphins and incredible bioluminescence in the water. The sunrises, sunsets and moonrises were also sights that you just don’t get to see anywhere else.

But, what got them up in the middle of the night, to battle yet another shift of 7 metre waves, force 8 storms or 30 degree heat, was the knowledge that they were rowing for a fantastic cause - Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The buoys chose Acorns after a close family friend, Jack Dyer passed away in 2020. Jack was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after both and Acorns offered indispensable care to Jack and his family, as they do to many children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions around the Worcestershire area.

The buoys are still aiming to raise £100,000 for Acorns and its not too late to help them get there! Please do head to their Just Giving page and just give what you can: https://www.justgiving.com/team/worcesterbuoys

And now, they’ve made it. An incredible challenge completed by two incredible people. Matt & George - you buoys are heroes ♥️