Oswestry man tackling second Atlantic rowing challenge - against his daughter
A man from Oswestry who has battled cancer is preparing to become part of a team tackling wind and tides in his second 3,000-mile Atlantic rowing challenge.
And this time one of his competitors will be a boat rowed by his daughter and her husband.
Ian Davies, 63, has already completed the gruelling challenge as part of a four-man team in December 2019.
Now he plans to do it again later this year as part of a two-man team with fellow rower Jim Ronaldson, from Oxford.
They will also be pitting their strength against Ian's daughter, Danielle, aged 35, and her husband, Mark Jones, who live in France.
If Ian and Jim manage to complete the challenge they will become the ones of the oldest combined age to do so, while his daughter and son-in-law aim to become one of the fastest married couples to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Ian said: "For me it is all about building memories as I suffer from Myeloma.
"In 2014 I swam across the Channel and a week later received my diagnosis and had 18 months of treatment and a bone transplant.
"I realised I had to regain my fitness and entered the Dart Ten swimming race.
"It was after this that I decided to row across the Atlantic in 2019 but after the event I suffered a relapse and underwent another bone transplant in May 2021.
"I am now in remission but at some stage in the future I know that it will come back again."
Ian said the latest challenge will see him setting off on December 12 this year with Jim Ronaldson as Team Never 2 Late.
"I have no idea how long it will take as this depends on tides, winds and weather," he said.
"The last challenge took 50 days and 19 minutes but then there was a group of four of us
"This time there will only be the two of us and I reckon it could take 55 to 65 days.
"We will be racing against my daughter, Danielle, who came to see us finish in 2020 and has been inspired to do the challenge.
"They have titled themselves For Better Oar Worse.
"We will be rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands across the Atlantic to Antigua.
"It might be the last time I do this but I am not ruling out another challenge."
While rowing the Atlantic, the two teams will be raising funds and awareness for Myeloma UK a bone marrow cancer charity; Papyrus, the prevention of young suicide charity and Access Sport - community sport for all.
