To raise funds for a Water making machine for our boat to help us to row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2015 and raise £100’000 for two great charities.
On December 15th 2015 Paul Snowdon and Sean McGuigan will set off from La Gomera to row 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to English Harbour Antigua in the Worlds toughest rowing race the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge to raise money for two amazing charities. From the point of departure until we arrive at our destination we will be rowing unsupported, in 2 hour shifts, 24 hours a day until we hit land approximately 2 months later. We will have to battle the Atlantic weather, tides and currents in what is recognised as the world’s toughest rowing race.
We will be doing the race in our specially built Ocean rowing boat the ‘Men of Iron’. The boat is a 7 Metre long Plywood and Fibre Glass boat. It is fitted with Solar panels to generate the power needed for the on board equipment including the Watermaker. There is a small cabin at one end of the boat where one of us will sleep at a time. If we are caught in a bad storm or rough seas we can shelter in this cabin until it passes. Both rowers will complete their RYA Ocean Yachtmaster certificate, First aid and survival at sea and radio operators courses for the journey in April 2015 to ensure that they are fully qualified for the trip. Our position whilst at sea will be live tracked and you will be able to log in 24 hours a day to see our race position and how far we have travelled. We will also update the website with how we are feeling as often as we can from the boat. If you help to fund us you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you played a part in making this happen. You will be able to see what you achieved by donating. Whilst at sea we will be taking regular videos which we aim to make into a YouTube documentary upon our return. So you will see how we coped warts and all. We hope that, by making this documentary, we will continue to get funds for these amazing charities after the race has finished.
We are doing the race to raise funds for two amazing charities. The Alzheimer’s society and St Clare’s Hospice. These charities make a massive difference. Not only to the people they directly help but also to their families and friends. They would not exist wthout the generosity of the public. Any one of us could need the services of these charities one day. We hope that they will be there to help us. We cannot take them for granted. We need to help them to survive so that they will be there for us and our loved ones if we need them. If we complete this race we realistically expect to raise £100’000 for the charities which will be split 50/50 between them. This £4000 investment will be multiplied by 25 if we succesfully raise the funds to purchase our Watermaker. If anything above the £4000 is raised then it will be donated to the charities.
We have already managed to finance the boat (The Men of Iron) and a lot of equipment for the race by selling advertising and sponsorship but our plans were dealt a blow when we discovered that the watermaker that came with the boat is not up to the task of another Atlantic crossing. The watermaker is a vital piece of equipment for the race. An unsupported Atlantic crossing is not possible without one. We will live on rehydrated rations for the journey and could not carry enough water to survive and remain competitive. At the completion of the race the watermaker will be removed from the boat and it will be sold. Every penny raised from the sale will be split 50/50 and given to the charities. Please help us to raise the funds for this vital piece of equipment.
Both rowers are employed full time and have saved employers holidays up for two years to get enough time to complete the race. We will not be taking a single penny in income from the race. Every penny donated via this appeal will go directly towards the purchase of the Watermaker. We have trained hard for the last year for the race. Sean is on of the current World Record holders for the longest continual row on a Concept2 Rowing machine. On April 17th/18th this year we will both be attempting yet another World record for the most Metres rowed in a 24hour period on an indoor rowing machine. We have committed ourselves fully to this race and are determined not to let a broken Watermaker de-rail us.
The Talisker Whisky Challenge is a huge international event. Teams compete from all over the World. The last time the race was ran it was turned into a documentary which was screened Worldwide. On Sky Sports it received over 20 Million viewers. The Webiste received 3 Billion transactions during the course of the race. If you have a business and you are looking to get exposure in return for your funding then this is an ideal opportunity to raise your profile. We will try to give something back to each person who helps us. See the Rewards section for the packages available.
For more details about our project visit our website WWW.NorthEastAtlanticChallenge.co.uk
Thanks you for reading our project.
Sean and Paul