Friday 12 June 2015

Sponsor Search


Since setting up our Social media sites we have received an extraordinary amount of support. People from all over the world have liked our page and spread the word. This is just what we need! A special thanks goes out to those who have donated via our website. Our next big challenge is to find sponsors to partner with. This is where our main source of funding will come from. I can't wait to see the boat with all our sponsors logos on the side! However in order to do this it takes an relentless amount of searching. We are currently looking for companies to invest in our team in all ways. Why would a company give us money? Well, we can offer a platform for brand recognition. The boat, our uniforms, and website can all act as advertisement for companies. Not just money, there is a healthy list of equipment that is needed to row an ocean. From food, first aid and clothes, to navigation, radios and anchors; a lot of this equipment can be sourced in the form of in-kind sponsorship. In return, we again offer advertisement for the company. This event attracts a lot of media attention and a company can benefit if we are seem using their products.

If you know a company that may be interested in partnering with us, Please get in contact and we can go from there.

Monday 18 May 2015

Rowing the Pacific Ocean! An introduction to our challenge.

Team Pacific Dragon endeavors to cross the Pacific Ocean using only human power. In what is described as one of the toughest endurances races in the world, it is a true testament to the very essence of human spirit, we will be pushed to both our physical and mental limits. Starting in Monterey California, we will race 2,500 over open ocean to Hawaii. The team, consisting of Cameron Cannings, James Count, William Cornish, and Ben Hodge are all students at Aberystwyth University and member of the British Army Wales University Officer Training Corps. With such a great opportunity we intend to raise £150,000 for the Prince’s Trust and SSAFA
            We are competing in the Great Pacific Race, organized the New Ocean Wave. After seeing great success in 2014, the organization is running the race again in 2016. We will leave Monterey on June 5th and hope to complete the race in just over 40 days. Along the way we hope to set a few world records. Despite aiming to beat the current speed record of 43 days, we will be the youngest to ever row across the pacific and James Count will be the youngest person to ever row across the pacific.
            Life of the boat is simple. The crew of four will row and sleep on a 25ft boat with not much space to much else. At any one time, there will be two people rowing. When not rowing, the other two will be eating, sleeping and doing general admin to ensure all the equipment is working. We change rowers every 2 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 40 to 60 days. Our bodies will be pushed to their limits both mental and physically. There is no escape from the challenge once you are in the middle of an ocean.

            Why would someone want spent 6 weeks rowing across an ocean if you can just fly? It’s the challenge that draws us in. The opportunity to experience something that only a few people have and finish with a story that will last a lifetim. More people have been to outer space or climbed Mount Everest than have crossed an Ocean by rowing boat! On a clear night, when you are 1000 miles off shore, completely alone on calm seas, the sky is clear and you can see a billion stars in the sky. At that moment you feel privileged to be experiencing a beaty very few people will ever get opportunity to. Equally, when the seas get rough you are scared out your mind as the little boat is being tossed around while huge waves crash over the side. Yet part of you still relish the thought that your friends back at home are warm and comfortable. They don’t get to experience what you are experiencing. The pure awesomeness of adventure. They don’t get to test their spirit in the face of adversity. Every adventurer has their own battlefield, a place they can push their limits as they attempt to find something that can’t be found in the ordinary. The Pacific Ocean is ours!

First Blog! Welcome to our Blog.

Thanks guys for supporting our campaign. Follow this blog for regular updates on what we get up to as we prepare to row the Pacific Ocean in 2016. On here we also intend to recognize various contribution of our supporters. Keep an eye on this blog for some awesome pictures and if you would like us to write about anything in particular, let us know!