45 Knot Winds Capsized Team O2’s Boat

Earlier this month, we announced that Team O2, Egyptian duo Omar Samra and Omar Nour,  are set to embark on the world’s toughest row; 5,000 kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean. They would have been the first Egyptian team to complete in this dangerous challenge. O2 were scheduled to start their journey on the 12th of December, and the average time required for the challenge was 60 days.

View this post on Instagram

Day 08: Straight into the deep. Despite of the first tough week and the hard challenges, team O2s’ spirit is unbreakable, and so is their partnership. Starting to find a rhythm to settle into the routine of rowing continuously, suffering from sea sickness, staying hydrated and getting used to eating properly. They are advancing well, as they have rowed a distance of 479 NM till the moment, ranked 5th in pairs. It’s a tough competition, they are not only challenging others but also challenging themselves. O2 is moving forward by finding peace in the ocean, thinking about their families and loved ones, putting their goal in front of their eyes, and reaching the finish line at Antigua. @dhlexpress @wildguanabana @ventumracing @undparabic @unhcr_arabic Illustrated by @minstreldead #teamo2 #rowing4refugees #twac2017 #mountains2oceans #rowingtheatlantic #atlanticchallenge posted by admin.

A post shared by Omar Samra – عمر سمره | ??? (@omarsamra) on Dec 21, 2017 at 11:38am PST

Omar Samra’s Instagram Account just posted a very sad piece of news, that mighty 45 knot winds capsized O2’s boat. Luckily, the two Egyptian daredevils survived the crash, and were rescued after being lost for almost 12 hours in the vast ocean!

View this post on Instagram

Team O2 update. Earlier today Team O2’s beacon did go off at 08.00 or 12.00, and at 09.35 their EPIRB (emergency beacon) was activated. Following an anxious day of waiting for Omar and Omars friends and family, Atlantic Campaigns confirmed a short time ago that both Omar Nour and Omar Samra have been successfully rescued. Atlantic Campaigns will be releasing information as soon as they have it. In the meantime, we are all incredibly grateful that Team O2 are safe and sound.

A post shared by Omar Samra – عمر سمره | ??? (@omarsamra) on Dec 22, 2017 at 3:15pm PST

The team is now safe onboard a 200m Greek-German cargo ship that came to their aid and was able to bring them onboard after 3-4 hours long of rescue attempts in worsening conditions. The post also mentions that the ship’s Captain and Senior Officers were Egyptians.

View this post on Instagram

Week 01 Complete: “One week has passed already. It is hard to say if time has flown by or passed super slow. It feels like both are true. We knew this would be tough. But it is a whole different kind of suffering than what I am used to, and certainly @o.n.tri as well. Everything is on repeat. We can’t walk but just seem to crawl from one end of the boat to the other. Things we once took for granted now seems like a distant memory. We miss our family and loved ones, and most of all I miss my daughter. In just 7 days we have experienced so many ups and downs. Truth be told. It has been mostly downs but we hang into the hope that everyone says that it gets better. We have yet to develop an appetite and the thought of eating a proper meal still makes our stomach turn. We feel weak and dehydrated for most of our days. This has been compound by battery and power problems we have been experiencing in the last two days. Today we had a shut off all power and have been hand steering & navigating by compass. We may just have enough power now to make some water & turn on the autopilot through the night. I know this seems bleak but rest assured our spirits remains resilient & our partnership stronger. The ocean has tested us for sure. We are happy to still be giving it our all. Unfortunately, 3 teams are already out of the challenge for various reasons. On a closing note, there is a great sense of peace here in this vast blue ocean and a sense of elation, albeit buried deep down for now, that we are doing something extraordinary and we are hopeful that it will pay off. On with week 2! @dhlexpress @wildguanabana @ventumracing @undparabic @unhcr_arabic #teamo2 #rowing4refugees #twac2017 #mountains2oceans #rowingtheatlantic #atlanticchallenge credit to the @atlanticcampaigns & Ben Duffy. Posted by Admin.

A post shared by Omar Samra – عمر سمره | ??? (@omarsamra) on Dec 20, 2017 at 12:07pm PST

The ship’s destination is Spain and is expected to arrive on the 28th. We can’t wait for the two Omars to come back safely to Egypt and announce their epic survival story.

WE SAID THIS: O2 may not have finished the challenge, but they certainly made all Egyptians proud.