Record-breaker craves good meal

Thomas Cremona returned triumphantly to Malta yesterday after spending a gruelling 34 days at sea, smashing the mid-Atlantic world record by 10 hours.

Sporting a pink ‘I love Malta’ T-shirt and a deep tan, Mr Cremona smiled and simply said: “It’s very good to be back – I’m very happy. I’m feeling very emotional, especially after seeing my family and friends here.”

He walked out into the arrivals lounge at Malta International Airport to be greeted, hugged and kissed by parents, relatives and friends.

The 22-year-old returned to Malta 11 days after he and his five-man crew landed in Barbados after rowing 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean on the 11-metre Sara G.

Mr Cremona admitted that breaking the record was not an easy task and there were “many times” when he felt like giving up.

“It was a very challenging event – I was seasick and eating 1,000 calories a day because I couldn’t take it and also needed to sleep... that was the worst,” he said.

The seasickness dominated the first 20 days but Mr Cremona stepped up the pace when it stopped.

“I really enjoyed the last 13 days and just rowed – I made a huge effort to break the record,” he said.

The small boat also had to battle through seven-metre-high waves. “Being at sea all that time was crazy. I was eating the same high-calorie food from ration packs. It wasn’t fun and very tough,” he said.

He praised his crew, consisting of British and Irish rowers Matt Craughwell, the skipper, Graham Carlin, Rob Byrne, Adam Burke and Fiann Paul, saying they all bonded well.

“It feels good to get the record – it’s incredible,” he said.

The first thing Mr Cremona wants to do is relax and have a good meal while spending time with his family and friends.

This is the third world record the 22-year-old has set in less than three months. He managed the Concept 2 Longest Continual Row on a rowing machine in December, and on January 18 the crew had covered 160 kilometres daily for 10 consecutive days. He is also the first Maltese person to row across the Atlantic.

An accountant by profession, Mr Cremona survived leukaemia when he was four years old. He set out on this challenge to raise funds for Puttinu Cares, the children’s cancer charity, and to also prove there is life after cancer.

Mr Cremona has received a number of offers for similar challenges but will be putting his feet up before before taking any decisions.