On 11th November three very bold men will board a liferaft on the River Hamble, where they will stay for 24 hours to raise funds for cancer charity, Sail 4 Cancer.
From the relative safety of the River Hamble, the crew will simulate a sailor’s worst nightmare by embarking on a real-life exercise of abandoning a vessel as if it were sinking, and boarding a liferaft, where they will then stay for 24 hours. The team will be in the cold, wet and cramped conditions for the next 24 hours.
The purpose of this challenge is to raise money for Sail 4 Cancer, a UK based cancer respite and sailing charity dedicated to helping those who have suffered, or are still suffering with cancer, and their families.
Tristan explains why the challenge means a lot to him: “My sister was admitted to hospital two years ago, at the age of 32, with a suspected sickness bug. Following numerous tests, they found a mass in her bowel. A tumour was blocking her bowel which was close to rupturing, so she needed life-saving emergency surgery and about a week later she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. She underwent a course of chemotherapy and has since made a good recovery. Sail 4 Cancer have been instrumental in her recovery, providing a great deal of support and a family break, so I felt I wanted to do my bit to say thank you. This challenge appealed to me as I spend a large amount of my spare time on the water!
"My team mates are the result of a new partnership between my company, OSP Retail, and Relex Solutions. Ian and Scott have very kindly volunteered to join me in the liferaft - and I’m pretty sure we’ll have some good stories to tell at our office Christmas parties afterwards!”
Ian Duncan-Lewis also has a very personal reason for undertaking the challenge as he explains: “My dad suffered for a number of years with prostate cancer and when it strikes someone close, you quickly realise how important the charities are for providing support, respite services for families and invaluable contributions to research. Whilst bobbing around in the raft I am sure that there will be plenty of time to remember some of the great times spent with my dad and if he was still with us I know that he would relish the opportunity to join us on the water.”
If you would like to donate to Tristan, Ian and Scott’s Sail 4 Cancer Liferaft Challenge, please visit their fundraising page: http://www.sail4cancer.org/three-merry-men-liferaft-2017
To find out more about Sail 4 Cancer and the work they do, please visit: http://www.sail4cancer.org