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WE SPENT the morning mounting the seat and making sure the rails were clean and running smoothly.

Pete sits on a seat which slides back and forth and it’s vital the mechanism which allows him to push the seat is smooth and trouble free.

He will be cleaning it after every shift and ensuring it’s lubricated. When Pete rows he puts his feet into a pair of white rowing shoes. They’re white because when he gets into the tropics a black shoe cooks his feet and white makes them a lot cooler.

The shoes are mounted onto the boat with bolts. His right shoe is connected to a steering bar and is used to steer the boat.

Pete ties himself in and sits on as many foam sheets as possible. One of the main issues is the care of Pete’s buttocks because spending so much time sitting causes pressure sores. This is not only painful, but can be dangerous as no sore heals properly in these conditions. We unpack the entire boat and lay out all the equipment Pete will need.

I must say Pete is really organised.

We took a well deserved mid-day swim with other rowers which was a great bonding session with lots of messing about and banter.

Because Nyamezela (Pete’s boat) is made of carbon fibre, she is very light.

So when we had removed all the provisions except the food out of the boat, I told Pete I was going to lift it up.

I casually strolled to the front and did just that. Now you must remember the average boat weighs between 300 and 400kg and Nyamezela must be somewhere in the 180kg range, and to see her lifted off her trolley got some smiles and head shakes. Ahead, there is a race to win and lets hold thumbs that it’s our Pete. — Cliff Coombes (manager)