Adventurer
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2018/19 supporting NE Innovation
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
In 2017 I decided to lead a team take part in the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic ocean from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua.
On 23rd January 2019, Team Tyne Innovation, which included Claire Hughes, Alan Huntly, Steve Sidaway, and myself, completed the challenge, in a world record time for a mixed team of four of 42 days, 10 hours and 26 minutes, beating the old record by 14 days.
You can find all about the challenge and how we went about achieving our dream on the Team Tyne Innovation website.
As with such adventures, it wouldn't have been possible without sponsors, and we were lucky to have a great team supporting us led by Womble Bond Dickinson, Deloitte, Newcastle College, Brewin Dolphin, HSBC, Mammoth, Jotron and Satcom Global.
Through these partnerships, we were able to showcase their products and services, demonstrate the North East's innovative spirit, increase their brand awareness, and enhance their reputation.
It also wouldn't have been possible with our family and friends who did so much and contributed in so many ways to our journey.
At the conclusion of the project, we were able to donate £43,350 to some great charities, Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care, the Stroke Association, and St Oswald’s Hospice.
I think the three years preparing for the challenge and the row itself has shown that with a bit of determination and perseverance it’s amazing what you can do.
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
In 2018-2019 I had the most incredible experience rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic for the first and what I thought was the last time with www.teamtyneinnovation.com raising over £40k for charity. Post-race I was interviewed by the BBC and when asked would I do it again, NO was the definite answer.
Roll on a few years and I have now complete the same race AGAIN, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022.
You may ask WHY I rowed the Atlantic again, which is a great question. It is partly down to the fact that I am competitive and always looking for the next challenge on life’s journey and now have a bit more time on my hands but it’s mainly down to meeting my new crew mate, military veteran, Garreth.
Back in 2019 crossing the finishing line of the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, with Alan, Claire and Steve was an amazing experience. I have often described it as reaching the top of the final ladder on life’s snakes and ladders board, the end goal having been reached and nothing more to prove. However, the day after the finish I thought, what next! This led me to be one of the first to sign up to row the Arctic’s Northwest Passage . This was due to take place in the summer of 2021 but, due to delays in critical equipment and advice from the expedition’s Ice expert, the expedition has been deferred for the last two years.
Over the last year I have also been supporting and helping to train Team Emotive, a military veterans’ crew aiming to compete in the 2022 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com), in aid of the mental health charity Veterans at Ease. Garreth, one of their crew, had helped me raise money for my Atlantic crossing so I was happy to support them.
It was at a fund-raising event, in April 2022, that I heard the back stories of the Team Emotive crew, all who at some point had considered taking their own lives and were helped by the charity. For me the most moving story was that told by Garreth, the CEO of Veterans at Ease. A member of the Cheshire Regiment, he was one of the first to go into Bosnia as part of the United Nations forces in 1992 at the start of the Bosnian War and was the commander of a Scimitar (CVRT) involved in reconnaissance. During his tour, in just one week, 50% of the Scimitar armoured vehicles in his platoon slid off the treacherous icy mountain roads into ditches and down ravines as the tracks failed to find purchase on the ice. Prior to Bosnia these tracked vehicles had proved their worth on muddy and sandy terrain across the world, but the conditions they found in Bosnia meant they needed to be adapted for the ice. The MoD put out requests for all the track vehicles being used to be winterised, and the Warrior APCs were provided with a modified track with a serrated leading edge to add grip. When it came to the Scimitar, the manufacturer proposed a new track with replaceable pads and metal crampons, but vehicle trials were deemed to be required to approve this track for service and so the MoD went for quicker solution, an internally developed modification, inserting metal studs into the tracks’ rubber pads which improved contact with the road and icy surface. Unfortunately, this improved track didn’t arrive at the front line in time to help Garreth and his unit. The effect of what Garreth experienced gave him a fear of going out in ice and snow, and years later ultimately led to him having a breakdown. On one particular day, he found himself sitting at home considering taking his own life. Fortunately for Garreth, and for so many veterans he has subsequently helped, he made a call that saved his life. He signed up for a session of mental health therapy that put him on the right track with his life. He then founded Veterans at Ease who, using the same therapy, have helped over 500 veterans who found themselves in similar positions, including his two Team Emotive crew mates, Chris and Jason.
It was whilst listening to Garreth’s story that I realised I needed to support him in his rowing challenge. For over 20 years I was the boss of the business that manufactured the tracks for all the UK’s armoured vehicles, including Garreth’s Scimitar. Whilst my business hadn’t designed the Scimitar (CVRT) track used at that time, it is a sobering thought that the products we manufactured contributed to the challenges he faced.
I have always been proud of the role I played in manufacturing businesses that supported our armed forces and I think it’s only right we support our service personnel when they return to being civilians. For this reason, I am a volunteer member of the North of England Reserve Force and Cadet Association and now a member of the Team Emotive Ocean Rowing Crew, supporting Garreth, the rest of the crew and the amazing charity Veterans at Ease.
Veterans at Ease is a leading military mental health charity, committed to helping veterans, reservists, serving military personnel, and their families deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other combat stress-related issues. They provide free therapy and support through a technique called NLP (Neuro Linguistic Psychotherapy) delivered by trained therapists, all of whom have suffered themselves, been through treatment with Veterans at Ease and then gone on to qualify. To find out more about Veterans at Ease go to www.veteransatease.org
So, I rowed the Atlantic Ocean with Team Emotive in 2022, in aid of the charity Veterans at Ease. We completed the race in 45 days 1 hour and 54 minutes. It was another great experience.
The Northwest Passage
Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2022/23 supporting Veteran’s Mental Health
The Northwest Passage
In 2019 I signed up to be part of the team aiming to be the first to row the Northwest Passage, the 2,000 mile Arctic route, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in a single season
For centuries explorers have sought a way through the arctic passage as a trade route between Europe and Asia. The most infamous attempt was Sir John Franklin's expedition, in which sadly the crew of British 2 naval ships were lost in the attempt.
The expeditions plan was to attempt to traverse the Passage, starting from Baffin Island and arriving in Alaska around 8 weeks later. Frozen for most of the year, it is the changing climate that is gave the expedition the opportunity to be the first to row the route but it would still face freezing temperatures, high winds, icebergs, and the region’s top predators. No one has successfully rowed the Northwest passage.
Unfortunately, as of 2022, I am no longer part of the expedition which was deferred for two years. After starting to question the expeditions organisation and use of funds raised, I was told I hadn’t paid enough to take part in the expedition, with the cash I paid and discounts I had arranged. I am still expecting a refund. Life is littered with good and bad experiences, in some senses that’s what makes it so interesting.
Who knows whether I will do a third crossing, that will depend on so many factors, the right challenge, the available funds, the opportunity to work with good trustworthy people and of course my wife Lydia and dog Charlie.
The thing I can say about ocean rowing is it is a great sport. On the journey to the start and during a row it gives you so many highs and lows. It gives you a whole lot of new skills and teaches you so much about yourself. How resilient you can be, what good organisation looks like, who you can trust. If you ever have the opportunity its worth having a go but do some due diligence before joining any expedition and take your time making your decision to take part. Don’t let your enthusiasm cloud your judgment.