A team of four fathers from Cornwall, planning a 3000-mile charity row in a boat less than 30 foot long, have been given  support by Mylor Yacht Harbour.

The Atlantic Seamen, who are embarking on the row to raise money for the Urology Foundation and the Children’s Hospice Southwest, have been given a safe dry berth for their boat at Mylor’s marina and use of the harbour’s facilities during their training for the Talisker Whiskey 2018 Challenge.

Cornwall-based friends Andrew Berry, Jon Davies, Tim May and Robert Spence will set off from the Canary Islands in December, rowing 24 hours a day for more than a month as they cross the ocean to Antigua.

“The challenge these guys are undertaking is immense and their training regime is gruelling enough, so anything we can do to make it that bit easier and more convenient we are very glad to do,” says Mylor Yacht Harbour’s Marina Manager Culum Matheson. “Here at Mylor we are sponsoring the Atlantic Rowers ‘in kind’ with our berthing and harbour facilities – and we’d urge the community to get behind them with sponsorship and support as they raise money for these two brilliant charities.”

The team, all keen sportsmen in their 40s, will be leaving behind their families including 11 children between them when they set off  at the end of the year on what Talisker calls the World’s Toughest Row.
Once they leave the island of La Gomera they will do rowing shifts, in pairs, of two hours on, two hours off, until they reach their final destination in the West Indies.

Atlantic Seaman Jon Davies says: “What we’re doing now is getting ourselves as super-fit and as experienced with the boat as we can – and that means getting out on the water every day if possible or into the gym if not.
“We’re all working and we’ve all got families so it’s a massive commitment: being able to just pop down to Mylor, launch the boat, jump in and off on the water to train has been an enormous boost and we are extremely grateful to the Yacht Harbour team for all their help and support.”

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Andrew Berry adds, “Being based at the Mylor Marina also increases our profile and people are always coming over to see what we’re up to or wish us well – and sometimes that translates into more sponsorship which is fantastic!”

Actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry, who is currently being treated for Prostate Cancer, recently showed their support to the Atlantic Seamen’s cause with a tweet:

Along with the Urology Foundation, the team is also supporting the Children’s Hospice South West, a cause close to home for Jon Davies, whose nephew and  family are receiving ongoing help from the Little Harbour Hospice in St Austell.

To find out more about the Atlantic Seamen’s challenge click here, or visit their Facebook page which includes a promo video and where supporters will be able to follow the journey.