Submariners who rowed across the Atlantic for charity have announced they will repeat the feat – every year.
HMS Oardacious – a team of four – crossed the ocean in 37 days, six hours and 40 minutes in January 2020, raising over £110,000 for mental health and wellbeing charities.
And now the four Royal Navy personnel say they want to repeat the feat on an annual basis.
Lieutenant Hugo Mitchell-Heggs: “HMS Oardacious has grown from a mad concept into a successful submariner wellbeing initiative that has reached millions around the world.
“The rowers and wider team collaborated with fantastic organisations that add value to a unique defence community; they have helped inspire the next generation of sailors and adventurers in partnership with the Sea Cadets – they have championed Mental Health and Resilience through the pandemic and successfully fundraised over £110,000.”
The team is once more setting its sights on the Talisker Atlantic Challenge, each December from 2022 onwards, and is still working with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
But they are now also collaborating with The Submarine Family, a new project with a focus on mental health and wellbeing support for serving and retired submariners and their families, and the Submariner Memorial Appeal, which was set up to create a tribute at the National Arboretum to submariners who have lost their lives.
Hugo said that HMS Oardacious was returning partly to showcase the professionalism and adaptability of submariners.
“Submariner culture truly harmonises with the extreme environment of ‘the world’s toughest row’, whether it’s being experts of their environment and equipment, looking after crew mates, managing watch systems whilst battling sleep deprivation and coping with the emotions of leaving loved ones,” he said.
“Fortunately, the greatest strength of the submariner is being able to maintain a sense of humour in some of the very worst conditions.
“Humour is a cornerstone to submariner ethos, when the vessel you choose to call home for upwards of three months at a time is designed to sink, remaining positive and being able to laugh is essential.”
To find out more about the team or how to sponsor, visit www.hmsoardacious.com or email admin@hmsoardacious.com .
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