John Haskell and Jamie Windsor of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service are rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, aiming to raise over £100,000 for four charitable causes.

The duo, dubbed the ‘Atlantic Dash’, left the Canary Islands for Barbados on 4th December 2011. In the lead up to the challenge the two firemen trained hard and spent time raising money and awareness for The Firefighters Charity, Help for Heroes, WRVS (Women’s Royal Voluntary Service) and Breast Cancer Care, and between them have personal links to each of those causes.

Their non-stop voyage across the Atlantic is expected to take around 3 months to complete. It is a serious physical and mental challenge, but both John and Jamie are well prepared for that, having spent months making sure they and their craft are ready for the relentless extremes of the ocean environment.

Onboard, each rower has a Fast Find 210 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and a Grab Bag, donated by McMurdo to aid them in their challenge. The feat forms part of the Woodvale Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race, to qualify the pair must undertake their voyage unassisted, so with the exception of a sat phone, they have no other link to the outside world for the duration of their journey.
Jamie commented; “The PLBs from McMurdo will be of great comfort, especially as our two-hours-on-two-hours-off system means that, even at night, we have to take it in turns for one of us to row whilst the other is sleeping. Such a vast ocean has many hazards – weather, shipping, wildlife - and if we fall foul of any of those we know will be able to alert the global emergency services straight away, simply by activating our PLB. That we are carrying this potentially lifesaving piece of equipment has also given our wives great peace of mind.”

John and Jamie are rowing in Pendovey Swift, a ‘Woodvale Pairs’ class boat, designed specifically for the race and measuring just 7m (23.4ft) long by 1.9m (6.3ft) wide and with one tiny cabin. The distinctive red boat is emblazoned with Fire Service decals.
To support Team Atlantic Dash see www.atlanticdash.co.uk and for updates on their progress throughout the challenge visit www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com/team/atlantic-dash.