Yorkshire Rows

Yorkshire Rows boat to make special appearance at Tockwith Show

The boat which carried four intrepid Yorkshire women across the Atlantic will be on show at this year\’s Tockwith Show.

Visitors will be able to see the tiny quarters where the amateur rowers lived during their 3,000-mile, 67-day journey earlier this year.

It will be brought to the show by Peter Rhodes, the father of Yorkshire Rows member Niki Doeg, who will also be on hand to meet the crowds for part of the day.

He said: \”A lot of people have seen the boat and the four rowers on the news, but it\’s hard to understand what it was really like until you see it in person.

\”We\’ve got some steps so people can see inside and understand just how small a space they lived in for those 67 days. There are boards explaining the construction of the boat and I\’ll be talking to people about it.\”

Along with the husband of one of the other rowers, Peter was responsible for preparing the boat for the journey, including storing enough food inside to keep the rowers fuelled for the journey. Once they had set off, all he could do was watch and wait, along with the rest of their families, as the challenge unfolded.

\”We could see their position on the computer but it only updated every four hours, so we got into a routine of checking every four hours,\” he said.

\”It was part of an organised event, so I knew they were being watched by a support crew, which was reassuring. I found it more worrying when they did a practice run from the UK to the Netherlands, through two busy shipping lanes!

\”It has been completely life-changing for all of them, and it\’s interesting to see them all taking paths now. So far, they\’ve raised £120,000, split between Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Maggie\’s cancer centre, and we\’ll be collecting donations at Tockwith Show as well.\”

Meanwhile, the show promises to highlight the best of rural life with its usual mix of traditional and new attractions.

Show co-chairman Sam Blacker said: \”Everything is running like clockwork ready for show day, and we\’re ready to welcome thousands of visitors through the gates.

\”We\’ve got hundreds of entries for our classes and competitions, our caterers and stallholders are all ready to go, and the committee members have been working hard to have the show field in top condition on the day. Welcoming Yorkshire Rows this year is the icing on the cake for us.\”