An unexpected break from fighting the pirates this week saw me back in the UK and able to attend the Boat Show at the ExCel. Bit of an old stomping ground for me in my former life as a professional yacht Captain and I bumped into loads of old friends, particularly on the Sunseeker stand, who had my old yacht up for sale and on display.
All the OAR team were working hard on our stand at the Outdoor Show, where ‘Charmed Life’, the boat Andrew and I rowed East – West across the Atlantic in 2005, formed an impressive centerpiece. I got the chance to finally meet up with Rachel our UK project manager; the last time we caught up was some years ago when I was giving a pre Atlantic rowing race presentation on why capsizing and sinking in the North Pacific, or any ocean for that matter, is never a good idea.
Gave a one hour presentation at the Finlada Vodka bar, during which, rather alarmingly I only drank water…. My walk through memory lane of five previous rowing projects, their many ups and occasional downs seemed to go pretty well and it was terrific for the first time to introduce this years plans for the OAR Project to a live audience.
Andrew and I also did the rounds of suppliers and potential supporters and we made some great positive progress, Raymarine are on board as sponsors and we discussed the kit we’d like to take to improve the already (I’m biased) peerless ‘Bojangles’. We also had really positive discussions about incorporating a ‘fuel cell’ supplement to our solar power recharging system, which we hope to make an announcement about soon.
Sadly had to desert the guys on Friday afternoon as work calls soon but had a terrific time and it was great to get together with the team who have been doing such sterling work while I’ve been languishing in the sunshine in the Indian Ocean these past few months.
Thanks also to Richard and the team at Equip Me and Training Expertise for hosting us.
Equip Me – In 2003, focusing on the supply of First Aid kits, Equip Me began to provide a service for a wide range of organisations that place teams into remote environments. This has continued to the present day, and the items of equipment we supply has multiplied. We now ship a diverse range of kit and equipment all over the world to support activities in outdoor and remote environments, including the OAR!
Training Expertise – Training Expertise provides integrated, training programmes for individuals and organisations that operate in both remote and urban environments. Our strength lies in our trainers who are experts in their field and use innovative teaching techniques and can adapt the trainer to the client’s needs.