Rowers are full of beans for demanding Atlantic challenge

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A group of four ex-Newcastle University rowers will be pushing themselves to the limit in a bid to row across the Atlantic in aid of charity.

The former university teammates have entered the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and are now having a boat built for the two months that the 3,000 nautical mile trip will take.

“We are hoping to raise £60,000 for charities including the RNLI and Cystic Fibrosis, in addition to raising awareness of the need to tackle climate change,” explains team member, James Timbs-Harrison, who works for Mitsubishi Electric’s Heating Systems.

Along with teammates James Kendall, Liam Browning and Stuart Markland, they will take turns to row continuously in the 60-day race from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard English Harbour, Antigua

In addition to the fundraising total, the team is hoping to generate a significant part of the cost of the trip through corporate sponsors and the boat is already being named ‘Ecodan’, in honour of Mitsubishi Electric’s renewable heating range, following the announcement of their expedition sponsorship.

The intrepid crew already have a dedicated website (http://www.allbeansnomonkeys.com/), named after their University rowing team motto – ‘All beans and no monkeys’ which roughly translates as ‘consistent effort with no mistakes’.

The race is held in early December 2015 so the team has now started a rigorous training programme designed to ensure they can not only cope with the physical demands of rowing across the Atlantic, but are also fully prepared to live in the cramped conditions that will become their home for almost two months.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of becoming one of only 500 people who have ever rowed the Atlantic and raising awareness of the need for us all to do what we can individually to tackle climate change,” explains Timbs-Harrison, who will be blogging with the team throughout the journey.

The boat will also be tracked on a separate website so supporters can see the team’s progress day by day. Further details on the Atlantic Challenge are available at the official race website - http://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com/

PICTURE CAPTION: four ex-Newcastle University rowers are swapping the Tyne for the Atlantic in a bid to raise awareness of climate change.

Ends

Note to editor:

Mitsubishi Electric is a global leader in the research, manufacturing and marketing of electrical and electronic equipment used in communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy and transportation. Mitsubishi Electric’s operations in the UK began more than 45 years ago. Since then, Mitsubishi Electric has expanded its network and service throughout Europe. Today, the company helps customers meet their challenges through providing innovative technology and high-quality products and solutions.

For further information, please contact:-

Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems

Contact: Russell Jones, PR & Communications Manager

Email: russell.jones@meuk.mee.com  
Telephone: 01707 278772

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MEL/078/13

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Quotes

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of becoming one of only 500 people who have ever rowed the Atlantic and raising awareness of the need for us all to do what we can individually to tackle climate change.”
James Timbs-Harrison