Raising money for charity
Stuart Boreham is the brother of Steve Boreham at IFS UK. So when Alastair Sorbie, Managing Director of IFS UK, heard that Stuart needed IT support for his journey, he was quick to offer help. Stuart is doing the trip to raise money for the Macmillan
Cancer Relief charity. If he makes it he’ll become the first rower with cerebral palsy to successfully row an ocean, unsupported and unassisted.
Out on the open ocean for 80-90 days
It is no minor task he has taken on. He’ll be out on the open ocean for the majority of the estimated 80-90 days the journey will take, his only companion being his mascot—teddy bear Barney. Steve describes his brother as mentally extremely strong. “His
legs may be weak, but his mind is very strong. Having been disabled for his entire life he has had to learn to deal with a lot of things. He always stays calm, and never panics. He deals with problems as they come without hesitation or despair, that’s why
I’m certain he’ll succeed.”
Takes a lot of preparation
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, alone in a rowing boat might seem like a reckless thing to do but it certainly takes a lot of preparation. “Stuart has been extremely professional in his work,” says Steve. “For example, he has secured help from the very best
in the business. His boat is top quality. He has a sat-phone, a fully stocked medical kit and water purifier, and his safety helmet for rough weather conditions is the very best you can get. He also has good ocean experience, having raced in the BT Global
Challenge Round the World Yacht race. I hope to meet him in Barbados—just in time for my own 40th birthday. Then we can do some major celebrating.”
Following the official ocean-rowing route
Stuart set off from La Gomera in the Canaries on November 15th, as the currents are usually best at this time of year. He is following the official ocean-rowing route for going from east to west across the Atlantic in order to get maximum help from the
currents. The latter is a must if you are rowing alone, since otherwise you would drift off course whilst resting. His plan is to reach Barbados in just about three months time, thus getting there before the hurricane season start... So if you are out
flying across the Atlantic, look down. If you see a small blue boat with an IFS logo on it, it’s Stuart on his way to Barbados. We at IFS wish him all the best of luck in his daunting project and hope for a safe journey!
Rather extreme adventure
Although ocean rowing has increased a lot in the past five or ten years with the advances of satellite communication and other techniques and systems, it is still a rather extreme adventure. Only 175 people have successfully rowed an ocean, in 101
completed crossings, whereas by the end of year 2000, over 1300 people had reached the top of Mount Everest.
|
