Two best friends from Wales have broken an unbelievable rowing record as part of the first ever three-man crew to cross the Atlantic from mainland to mainland. Former Newport Bassaleg school pupils Stefan Vine and Johnnie Ball completed the astonishing 65-day feat in an eight-metre-long boat with South African Dirk Von Delft.
Stefan, who said it was “without doubt” the hardest thing he had ever done, said he is still in a state of shock since they arrived back in Newport after finally making it to French Guiana following a gruelling non-stop rowing mission from Portimao in Portugal.
Johnnie said when they arrived in French Guiana they “couldn’t stop laughing”. “Stef kept falling over because we hadn’t walked in so long,” he said. “It was a completely surreal moment that we’d made it.”
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“None of us could walk,” Stefan added. “One of our sponsors then turned up with pizza and beers which was unreal. Even the taste of the coffee in the morning was so intense. All we’ve had for weeks on end is water. When we had bread I literally just ate the bread as it was. I had all these French guys looking at me in disdain that I didn’t put anything on it.”
“I am so groggy,” Stefan explained from his home where he says “everything is weird”. “It is so, so strange being back in civilisation after something like that,” he laughed. “I’m sitting here in my front room and even watching the traffic going past in the rain is really bizarre. I feel like I’m looking at myself in third person, like something off the Truman Show.”
Strangest of all is seeing people again beyond Johnnie and Dirk. Such was the signal on the boat that they couldn’t even video call their loved ones during their two months at sea. In WalesOnline's feature with them in February Stefan described the challenge as “like being in a washing machine that never ends”. You can read the full feature on Stef and Johnnie's story here.
Describing the moment he and Johnnie walked back into the Red Lion pub at Stow Hill, Stefan said: “We just couldn’t believe it. I was really taken aback to be honest. We’ve come out of this bubble being literally in the middle of the ocean with each other and suddenly everyone wants to speak to us. It’s an overwhelming feeling.
“People had banners and balloons in the pub. There must have been about 60 or 70 people there. I didn’t get my wallet out all night!”
You shouldn’t need any other indication that their story has caught the attention of many, but if you did - you need look no further than their brilliant fundraising achievements for Dementia UK. They’ve now raised tens of thousands for the charity in memory of Johnnie’s father David who suffered with the disease for 20 years. You can visit their website and donate here.
Johnnie said: “Dementia UK has sent us some lovely messages. We’ve been across the media and had great publicity and a great following. I’m so pleased that the awareness campaign has made a really big impact and that we’ve managed to raise so much money on top of that.”
Asked if he had ever considered not completing the challenge, Stefan said: “In the first two weeks, definitely. Many times. They were absolutely horrendous. After getting through those first days I think we were all pretty adamant that unless something was taken out of our hands we’d get the job done.”
After two weeks at sea in February Stefan said: “I can’t think of anything I’ve faced worse than this. The waves keep on coming – it’s relentless, the rocking. To be in that situation while you’re desperately hungry, dirty, and seasick is just horrendous. I couldn’t hold anything down.
“When you’re in that place everything does your head in. You bang your head on everything, you stub your toe on everything, without being too crass you can’t risk a fart. All these things add up. It makes you think: ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out for this’. And I probably felt that more than Johnnie and Dirk.” To sign up to our Newport newsletter go here.
Reflecting on the last two months Stefan said: “I’m absolutely chuffed with what we’ve done. It doesn’t feel real that we all got through something as difficult as that. There is no way any of us could have done it without each other.
“We’ve all taken so much from it, mentally and physically, I know I have taken loads that I’ll adapt to change my life, Johnnie spoke of how much he’d learned to help him in work, and Dirk said it would make him a better dad.”
Johnnie continued: “It was an amazing chance to learn more about ourselves and to be more self aware. It really strips everything in your everyday life away. All of the hecticness [sic] and pressure - all stripped away and we were just left with really simple things. It reminds you of what is important.”
There might be some challenges closer to home on the horizon for the pair, while plans are also in the offing for workshops to be held in schools. Stefan said: “We are definitely going to do more challenges. I’m already thinking about what to do next. We’re in the process of ironing out some things that we can do in the UK.”
Johnnie said: “We haven’t decided about big expeditions yet. So much preparation went into this and so much hard work that I certainly haven’t got it in me to repeat an expedition like this any time soon. But maybe one day.”
Asked whether they will continue rowing, Stef added: “We are in the rowing community now and I’m sure we will help teams out when we’re needed. But I certainly won’t be buying my own boat and taking it up the Usk.”
