Galway will officially welcome home world recorder holder for a solo Atlantic row Gavan Hennigan, this Sunday at the Salthill Hotel from 12 noon to 2pm.
Hennigan (35 ) arrived back in Ireland last Sunday to a hero’s welcome at Dublin Airport and he will be giving a talk on how he managed to break a world record.
The Galway man become the fastest Irishman to row across the Atlantic completing the 5,000km journey, crossing the line in Antigua, after 49 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes at sea.
He finished third overall in the 12-boat Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and became the fastest solo competitor in the history of the race.
The fastest Irish man to make the east to west crossing previously was Sean McGowan who completed the crossing in 118 days in 2010.
Upon arrival at Antigua, an exhausted Hennigan said: “I’m so proud to have done this. Not many Irish have attempted a solo row across the Atlantic and I feel I have done it in style.”
Hennigan burnt some 8,000 calories a day and lost approximately 20 per cent of his body weight over the duration of the Atlantic race, which started on December 14 2016, from La Gomera in the Canary Islands.
The race finish was in Antigua in the West Indies, where he arrived on February 1 2017.
During the row he endured tropical storms, sleep deprivation, sweltering heat, and the psychological stresses of living and working in such an unpredictable environment.
His Atlantic row raised money in aid of local Galway charities, Cancer Care West and Jigsaw and proceeds on the day will go to the charities.
Members of the public are invited to attend the talk.
For more information or to make a donation check out www.gavanhennigan.com
