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Atlantic Adventurers' voyage to Parkgate

On December 6th 2009, local Parkgate resident Neil Gyllenship and his colleague Dean Jagger will set off on the voyage of a lifetime to raise money for Claire House Children's Hospice.

Their 3,000 mile rowing expedition, as competitors in the Woodvale Challenge, will start from Tenerife and end, approximately 60 days later, in Antigua, where their families will be waiting to welcome them back onto dry land.

Neil's son, James, is a Year 1 pupil at Parkgate Primary School, and it was with great excitement that pupils at the school were treated to a presentation by Neil and Dean.  They brought with them a boat similar to the one they will be manning on their voyage. 

Their own, two-hander boat is currently being built especially for them, thanks to generous sponsorship by Manchester Airport, where both Neil and Dean work in the Fire Service.  The boat they brought with them to Parkgate will also be taking part in the race, but will be manned by "Row For Girls," a four-woman team.

The entire school listened to a fascinating presentation in the School Hall, finding out all about the challenges the team will face on their journey, including weather conditions, living on tight rations, sleep deprivation and the sheer hard slog of rowing for hours every day and night.

The boat will be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS), allowing them to plot their course, along with a satellite phone that they will use to speak to their families, but just once a week due to the prohibitively high cost of making calls (approximately £30 per minute). 

They will be using a laptop to keep an eye on incoming weather systems and to facilitate the use of the GPS, and they will also use the laptop to create a blog of their journey.  They encouraged children at the school to send them emails while they are away, and the school will be displaying a map on which the progress of the pair will be charted on a daily basis.

After the presentation, each class in the school took turns to have a tour of the boat (see our pictures below) and were given the opportunity to ask questions. 

Neil and Dean are now training hard for the voyage, running and working on rowing machines every day. They also have to attend rigorous courses on sea-survival and navigation. 

ITV are filming the lads during training, and a camera will be fixed on the boat throughout the race, to create a documentary of their entire experience which will be broadcast next year.

Neil and Dean are hoping to raise £100,000 for Claire House by taking part in the challenge.  If you would like to sponsor their incredible effort, please visit their website: www.teamheatwave.co.uk.

Photo Gallery

To sponsor Neil & Dean for the benefit of Claire House, visit their website: www.teamheatwave.co.uk.

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