Not so fast Mr. Hicks: Ocean rower delayed in British jail
May 12, 2005 14: 58 EST
In a phone call to ExplorersWeb today, Oliver Hicks reported that he had been arrested at the airport in England. The crime? He had accidentally packed a knife in his carry-on bag. Ollie spent a night in jail for the mistake, but everything has been cleared up with the authorities and he’s now on U.S. soil.
Atlantic Highlands welcomes another rower
Who knew the main port of call for ocean rowers was in New Jersey? Yesterday, Ollie arrived in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, the same entry point for the Dutch Ocean Fours rowing team. Both teams plan to row from New York to Great Britain; in fact, both teams are planning to start their expeditions on May 23. Oliver Hicks is making the trip solo, while the Dutch team will take shifts with their four rowers, two at a time. So far, there’s no word whether the Atlantic Highlands gym has offered Oliver the same free trial membership they gave the Dutch guys.
Boat smuggling
It seems to be pretty hard to get a rowboat into the U.S. The Ocean Fours team ran into trouble with customs before finally getting their boat. Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing delays with the company in charge of shipping his boat here.
Another speed record attempt
Oliver noted that the current rowing record for a solo west-to-east Atlantic crossing is 62 days. When asked how many days he was hoping to take, Ollie replied, “Anything less will do. But I’m not sure how realistic that is. My boat isn’t the fastest.” The Ocean Fours team is aiming to break the multiple-rower speed record of 55 days.
Previously, Oliver Hicks has competed in the Marathon des Sables and the world’s longest kayak race, the Yukon River Quest. He first developed an interest in ocean rowing at age 16. Hicks will use an Atlantic challenge class rowing boat to (24.3 ft long).
Ocean Fours plans to set a world record by rowing from New York to the Scilly Islands (UK) in less then 55 days. After this journey they will row to their home city, Rotterdam. The team members are Gijs Groeneveld, Robert Hoeve, Jaap Koomen, and Maarten Staarink.
Image of “dangerous criminal” Oliver Hicks courtesy of www.virginrow.com.
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| Fedor - less than a week to go! Jun 3, 2005 | | Saito San - closing in on home and record! Jun 2, 2005 | | Atlantic Four: And they are off! Jun 1, 2005 | | Ollie - is anybody out there? May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | And they are off! May 27, 2005 | | Ellen gives transatlantic record a second battle May 27, 2005 | | Vagabond update - Polar bears, 200 candles and ice melting in Inglefieldbukta May 26, 2005 | | ExWeb interview - Atlantic Four: "It was all about persuading our wives" May 25, 2005 | | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
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