The Briton from Wirral, near Liverpool, set out on the almost 5,000 kilometer rowing trip on January 27, writes The Guardian. He expected to row up to 18 hours a day, and spend between 40 and 110 days on the trip. But Michael was found dead four weeks later. This photo of Michael and the boat in Essex, on the occasion of training and courses, was shared on Needles and Pins in April 2022. Photo: Needles and Pins / Facebook Michael Holt’s partners and family have shared details of the trip on the Needles and Pins Facebook page , where he said he was raising money for a Welsh voluntary mental health organisation, Mind Cymru, and Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services. Saw Orcas and Sharks On February 11, the family updated that Michael had called them via satellite phone and that he was in good spirits. Two days later they said that he had observed orcas near the rowing boat. Three killer whales had swum close to the boat and just “hung out” with Michael for a while. This map was shared by Needles and Pins on February 16th. By then Holt had struggled with the wind for a few days, but was again well on his way to Barbados. He started from Gran Canaria. Photo: Needles and Pins / Facebook On February 15, he saw a three-meter-long shark that allegedly tried to bite the helm, but Holt rowed on. Then, according to the tracking monitoring, he had drifted back towards the Canary Islands for a while. On the Facebook page for the campaign, this was explained by the fact that he had type 1 diabetes and had to take care to rest when his body required it. Became ill A few days later came the update that Holt was ill and had to try to row to an island in Cape Verde 300 nautical miles away. Then the day before he had been hit by a big wave, which had caused him to lose an oar and hurt his hand. According to the update, Michael had taken antibiotics, and thought this was the reason why he felt unwell. On Sunday, Needles and Pins shared a message from Holt’s family, after not hearing from him for several days. Then they said that a plane had located the rowboat that morning, but that Michael was not on deck. The fishing boat “Noruego”, which means Norwegian in Spanish, was then on its way to the vessel. This photo was shared from the fundraiser to bring Holt’s remains home to the UK. Photo: Needles and Pins / GoFundMe Later on Sunday night, her brother David updated followers on social media about what had happened. – We have worked tirelessly to get Michael help for the past four days, but it has been extremely difficult, he writes. – A big shock The fishing boat “Noruego” from Capp Verde took on the task of seeking out the rowing boat. – When they arrived, they tragically found Michael dead inside the cabin. This is of course not the outcome we were hoping for, but I find some comfort in knowing that he died doing something he really wanted to do, and that he managed to row over 1,100 kilometers along the way. It is an achievement in itself, writes the brother and adds: – This is a big shock for me, his wife Lynne, daughter Scarlett and my parents, not to mention extended family and friends. The family also thanks all the warm words and wishes they have received in recent days. A fundraising campaign was set up on Tuesday to cover the costs of having Holt’s body transported back to the UK. They use a picture of the boat towed to Cape Verde. Neither the website for the roaktion nor the Guardian state anything about a possible cause of death.
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British rower found dead on charity trip across the Atlantic – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
