Rower contemplates options over Atlantic challenge

Rower contemplates options over Atlantic challenge 6/7/14

Solo Atlantic rower, Niall Iain Macdonald, is still in pain after sustaining a seriously injured back in an accident while attempting to row the Atlantic Ocean.

The 39-year-old Gaelic TV and radio broadcaster was rescued by US coastguards after his specialist carbon fibre-made boat slammed hard into the trough of a freak wave, 50 miles off New York.

It curtailed his ambition of rowing 3,400 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean – from New York to Stornoway on his own - to raise £100,000 worth of vital support for Scotland’s leading mental health charity, Scottish Association for Mental Health.

Excruciating agony seared through his body when he was smashed against the oar stanchions, hitting his head and falling into the footwell of his lurching boat, the Atlantic Alliance.

Fog prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching him, so a US coastguard cutter steamed for hours to reach him and take him to hospital.

The adventurer has now arrived back home and is recovering from the accident in Stornoway before heading to Glasgow for treatment next week.

Niall Iain has not made a final decision if he will try again to conquer the ocean - he wants to rest over the summer and complete a programme of treatment for his damaged back before considering his options.

Niall Iain explained: “Straight away, from the pain I was experiencing, I realised something was seriously wrong.

“It took me ten to 15 minutes to get back up to the side of the boat which was incredibly painful.”

He was forced to call for help and was later rescued by US Coastguards.

On board the coastguard cutter and seeing his abandoned boat vanishing behind, “felt horrible” when he realised that “four years of hard work had finished just nine days into the row,” he said.

A public appeal via Facebook raised £8000 to salvage the boat which ended up drifting 100 miles off Atlantic City.

Looking towards the future, he said, “my immediate plans are to get better. My back has been damaged and is weakened and I need to get sorted.

“I am getting treatment to hopefully rectify the injury.

“After that.. I will have a look at everything and see how I feel.”

He wonders “if I have gone as far as I can with it which is very hard to admit but it’s the truth.

“I’ll take time over the summer and see where I am and come to a decision.”

Niall Iain thanked everybody for supporting him throughout the different stages of the challenge and for continuing to send him messages of encouragement.