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Yesterday evening we were picked up by Red Bay RNLI from stormy seas near Belfast. We are all safe and well and enjoying the incredible hospitality of the community here, whom we can’t begin to thank enough for their help and support. Our boat was doing well in the storm, with force 8 winds at time, but we were in a tricky position in the North Channel with a lot of land nearby, and even with drogues and lines out behind to slow us down we were still being pushed by the winds and tide towards the Mull of Kintyre. We judged (as did the coastguard) that there was a significant risk of colliding with land during the night which would have been an emergency rescue situation. We therefore made the call early to seek assistance while time and daylight were still on our side. It was amazing to witness the skill and professionalism of the RNLI up close; transferring us from a rowing boat to the life boat in big seas was a huge challenge - so much so that they called in the support of a nearby tanker to provide shelter during the manoeuvre!It was heartbreaking to have to leave our little boat - our home! - out there on the ocean with all the scientific kit and samples on board, but she survived the night and we hope to recover her tomorrow morning. All being well with safety kit / equipment and the condition of the boat, we will continue on our journey when the winds ease. Morale is high, we are loving life at sea and have become such a strong team. In the last 3 days we’ve learned a lot about ourselves as individuals, about teamwork and what we mean by success or failure. The challenge is to row around Great Britain and the goal is to collect vital environmental data around the whole coastline. We’re still on it! We’re so grateful for the support of everyone back home and of the wonderful people we’ve encountered along the way. Please do sponsor our charity @londonyouthrowing (link in bio) but also consider a donation to the @RNLI, the most outstanding organisation run entirely by volunteers, who keep us safe at sea and make it possible to undertake missions like ours.