Isle of Wight charity row to be retraced 50 years on

FIFTY years ago, Isle of Wight resident Dave Howlett rowed from St Peter Port to Shanklin in the Isle of Wight to raise money for the lifeboats in both islands.

Isle of Wight resident Bob White is retracing Dave Howlett's oarstrokes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his challenge to row from Guernsey to the Isle of Wight to raise money for the RNLI. (30747074)

To mark the anniversary, Bob White will be retracing Mr Howlett’s oarstrokes – in his designated seat on Condor Ferries.

Mr White lives in the Isle of Wight and discovered the story of Mr Howlett’s challenge through his passion for stamp collecting.

‘I came across a philatelic cover of Dave’s journey,’ he said.

‘I learned that Dave carried 500 covers with him in the boat which were sold to raise money for both St Peter Port and Sandown and Shanklin RNLI services.’

Mr Howlett undertook the challenge on 20 and 21 May 1972 and was the only person to attempt the journey at the time.

‘It’s so impressive that a 27-year-old man tackled the journey in an 11ft home-made dinghy from Guernsey to Shanklin,’ said Mr White.

‘He covered 95 miles by rowing, but had to be towed by his safety vessel for the last four miles due to the weather conditions.’

The Guernsey Press reported at the time that Mr Howlett’s journey took 37 hours travelling through busy shipping lanes and that when the challenge finished he had raised £50 for the lifeboats. The conditions during the night included force 5 winds, heavy rain and rough seas and a loss of contact with the signal stations.

Mr White admitted that his challenge was nowhere near comparable with Mr Howlett’s Channel crossing, however explained that it is more about remembering his story, appreciating the lifeboat services of both islands and transferring the philatelic covers 50 years later.

One hundred philatelic covers, postmarked by Guernsey Post, will be carried on Mr White’s journey as a reminder of Mr Howlett’s challenge.

The anniversary covers will be priced following the challenge for collectors to purchase.

Mr Howlett is quietly retired in Cornwall and Mr White has made sure that one of the anniversary covers will be making its way to him.

To recreate the journey, on 21 May Mr White will be boarding a Condor Ferries vessel in St Peter Port to take him to Portsmouth and will complete the journey using a Wightlink FastCat and Island Line train.

Money raised will be split between both RNLI services and donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/oaresomeadventure.