Local rowers get ready for record-breaking trip
Kingsbridge businessman David Murray is readying himself to row 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
If he succeeds, David and his rowing partner Guy Rigby will take a world record, not only as the oldest pair to cross the Atlantic, but any ocean in the world.
David, 56, and Guy, 69 are rowing to raise money for the charity UnLtd which helps entrepreneurs who wouldn’t normally get investment, such as women and ethnic minorities. It funds and supports ‘social entrepreneurs’ who are building enterprises and doing good for the community, and has now supported thousands to start their business journey
David is no stranger to setting up businesses having founded, among others, Hot Smoked with his wife Alyson in 2008. It is now one of the UK’s premier food smoking brands bringing wood smoke flavours to barbecues everywhere through its award winning starter kits.
But gastronomic adventures fuelling Britain’s love of cooking outdoors are a far cry from 60 relentless days at sea when home will be a 23ft fibreglass boat christened as Lily and known for the journey as The Entrepreneur Ship, and nutrition will be sustenance packets of dehydrated food.
During the challenge, David and Guy will adopt a punishing regime of rowing two hours on and two hours off 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To prepare himself David has adopted a brutal training regime (system) involving rowing the Salcombe Estuary, running and cycling many miles up and down south Devon’s steep hills and training with ex Exeter chiefs player James Tate for several hours a week. This is coupled with eating copious amounts of food in order to put on excess weight which will be shed during the epic voyage.
“There are two things that will prevent us from completing the challenge and that’s our minds and our fuel. The easiest bit is the rowing. It’s our legs and arms that will take us across the Atlantic so food is the most crucial thing along with water on the boat,” says David who is used to pushing his body to the limit having completed seven Ironman Challenges - a back-to-back 2.4 mile swim,112 mile cycle ride and 26.2 run all on the same day - and three ultra marathons.
He adds: “To me the greatest problem of rowing the Atlantic is going to be the food. We have to take dried food and it’s not great. Although you can jazz it up if you take different condiments and sauces there is a limit to what we can take as weight is a key factor. We have to take everything we need for three months, but happily we are allowed to take 20 per cent wet foods.”
The pair hope to raise in excess of £1m for UnLtd, and are already halfway there. “Guy is chair of Entrepreneurial Services at Smith & Williamson and for him it’s very much about fundraising - he’s very good at this. For me it’s about the challenge. It’s a personal journey, and how, if we complete it, we can use that success to help motivate others to understand the benefits to your mental health from being active. When you see people achieve a personal goal, no matter how small, there’s a real magic. You can’t describe how that journey is, it’s just incredible. I want to inspire people to do things, because life is so short and you’ve got to cram it full of good things. On a different level, I also want to spend some time developing alternative dehydrated foods to satisfy the UK’s unerring appetite for adventure. Ironman is about nutrition, and people say their biggest regret is that they didn’t sort the food out.”
While David and Guy row - at one point during their journey the ocean will be five miles deep and the nearest human being in the space station - Alyson will be holding the fort at Hot Smoked, and spending Christmas with their two sons, Fynn, 23, and Archie, 21. Then, the whole family will head to Antigua when the challenge concludes in February.
David says: “We live and breathe Hot Smoked. When you run a business, you are always talking about it. We go to all the exhibitions and trade shows together, and I’m the chief cook for the recipes that we include with some of our kits. But Alyson is brilliant and Hot Smoked has been her baby for quite some time. She’s grown it to become an incredible business.”
Alyson adds: “I’m a little bit nervous for David and for a while I thought it was a difficult and unfeasible thing to do. But it’s so well run with so many mandatory tests and training hours they have to spend in the boat prior to the challenge that they should be well prepared! I’m excited for him, and what life will bring for him when he returns.”
To donate visit https://theentrepreneurship.co.uk or visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/entrepreneurship
To learn more about Hot Smoked visit www.hotmsoked.co.uk
