An Essex couple who have just spent two months rowing across the Atlantic for charity fear they may find themselves stuck in Antigua because they can’t afford to get home.
Nina, 50, and Simon Crouchman, 53, have battled 14ft waves, blisters, seasickness and a broken rudder in what is dubbed by many as the ‘world’s toughest row’.
The couple, from Colchester, Essex, are days away from completing the challenge to raise funds for the Samaritans but now can’t afford to get themselves home – or their £65,000 boat.
They are pleading for help to raise funds to get themselves back to the UK, as well as still trying to raise funds for charity, UK News reports.
They have so far raised £8,370 of their £50,000 target for Samaritans and are 60 days into their 65-day physical feat.
However the Help Mr & Mrseas get home fund, named after the duo’s team name, only has £560 in the pot of the £7,000 needed.
On the online GoFundMe fundraiser page, the couple wrote: ‘This has been a two-year plan to reach the start line, as ordinary down-to-earth people in their 50s, we never thought we would make it this far.
‘Financially it has been a struggle, with all funding coming from one household and sponsorship extremely hard to find – it’s a difficult time and we are so close.
‘We found ourselves at the start line, able to row the race and to support our charity but we do not have funds to get home ourselves once we reach Antigua.
‘We do not have funds to ship our boat back to the UK from Antigua.’
Nina gave up her job at Essex County Council in order to do the mission. It required specialist training, a £65,000 boat, safety equipment and supplies for the months-long trip.
The couple, together for 27 years, picked the Samaritans in honour of a close friend who lost their life to suicide.
Nina said: ‘A friend of ours did take their own life.’
The pair joined the starting line of the annual Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge with 42 other teams on La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12.
The pair expect to cross the finish line on Thursday, February 16 – making the trip 65 days long.
Nina said: ‘It is the ultimate rowing race. I wouldn’t want to be doing the challenge with anybody else.’
