It’s the final countdown! One mission, four rowers, 2,500 miles.
There's just one week left to go ahead of former Southampton Solent University student Steen Stones’ Guinness World Record attempt to row around the UK in a restored 25-year old Australian surfboat.
Steen, an ex-marine and former part-time Business Studies student, and his fellow crew members set sail on 2 May 2015, attempting to row 2,500 miles around the UK to raise money for The Royal Marines Association and Wessex Cancer Trust.
Steen, who served with the Royal Marine Commandos for five years, says: “It all started over a few beers. Fast forward to today and suddenly the four of us are facing the challenge of a lifetime. We’ve jacked in our jobs to row 2,500 miles around the UK; leaving loved ones behind for three months, but what a challenge!”
To make a further splash, the team will wear their speedos as part of their efforts to raise £100,000, to be split equally between their two chosen charities.
“I am rowing for all those men who put their lives at risk in the Royal Marines serving in hostile environments all over the world, and for the men and families of those who didn’t make it back,” Steen says.
“I also row for Wessex Charity Trust to help all those that are affected, cancer affects us all in some way,” Steen continues.
Fresh from six months training and with a surfboat that has undergone extensive restoration by local craftsmen to provide a seaworthy vessel, the team aim to complete the row in 100 days, calling at 90 ports, and rowing around 25-30 miles a day.
The four core crew will be joined by three auxiliary rowers and assisted on land by several volunteer minibus drivers, where they will camp overnight.
There’s an opportunity to see the crew in training and/or join them at an eight hour row-a-thon on Saturday 25 April 2015 at Fitness First, Bournemouth.
Donations can be made via the team’s website: http://ukcharityrow2015.co.uk, where you can also follow their progress.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8201 3642 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The University was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2014 poll of students. Solent Business School has been awarded the Small Business Charter Award, which is supported by the Association of Business Schools and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and ‘gold approval’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
About the Around the UK Charity Row
The idea of the ‘Around the UK Charity Row’ challenge came from team member Ellis Hagger, an extra in Ridley Scott’s movie Robin Hood. He said: “We had so much fun on the film set that we decided to take up the sport of surfboat rowing and set about restoring an old Australian surf boat. When that was completed we all thought it would be a great challenge to take it out on the water and see what it could do!”
A small group of rowers from Bournemouth Surf Boat Club, which was formed on 4 July 2009, the team’s aim is to ‘boldly row a surf boat where no one has surf rowed before’ - circumnavigating Britain to raise as much money and awareness as possible for their two chosen charities. The crew will arrive in port in their speedos and hope the charity row will be recognised by the Guinness Book of Records under the category of ‘oldest Australian surfboat to circumnavigate Britain.’
For more information and to follow the latest progress of the charity row, visit www.ukcharityrow2015.co.uk, www.facebook/ukcharityrow2015.com, follow @ukcharityrow2015 or email steen.stones@ukcharityrow2015.com. Watch a video of the rower’s story so far: https://youtu.be/TWnY0BH1Yyw
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