Please select your home edition
Edition




Crewsaver sponsors NY2UK solo row

by Seaborne 7 Apr 2021 08:53 PDT
Dave Bell © Crewsaver

Leading Survitec brand Crewsaver is keeping Dave "Dinger" Bell safe on his unassisted solo row across the North Atlantic with an array of specialist equipment, some of which has been designed specifically for the treacherous crossing.

Weather permitting, Bell, 49, a former Royal Marine, believes the May 2021 row from New Jersey to Falmouth, UK - a 2710 nautical mile route that will pass over RMS Titanic - will take between 90 and 120 days.

While the mainly self-funded NY2UK row started off as a personal challenge with Bell reluctant to tell anyone about the planned crossing, close friends encouraged him to row for charity.

So far, he has raised £7500 for the Special Boat Service Association and Rock2Recovery. Bell is also using his row to promote www.bravery.org.uk, the extreme sports clothing company founded by his veteran friend Toby Gutteridge, who was shot and paralysed on a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

"Sponsorship support is a vital contribution to the NY2UK challenge," said Survitec Commercial Director Matthew Bridge.

"Dinger's Crewsaver lifejacket has been specially adapted not to activate upon contact with water, so as to avoid inflation in the exposed cockpit of his one-man ocean rowing boat. It has also been fitted with a hood in anticipation of the huge swells he faces in the North Atlantic. The route takes him across the lower part of 'Iceberg Alley' where the water is very cold and survival times can be short.

This is a very difficult and commendable challenge for some very worthy charities. I encourage everyone to donate what they can in support of these important causes.

"While we are immensely proud to have donated equipment to this extraordinary human endeavour, we hope it will never have to be activated."

Dinger Bell was living in Jamaica in 2013 when he had this idea of rowing back to the UK.

"I thought I'll buy a boat, load it with food, get a good sat nav and row home," he said. "But in my ignorance of ocean currents and weather systems, I soon realised it's not possible to row from the Caribbean into the tradewinds. It wasn't that I wanted to row the North Atlantic, I just wanted to row west to east."

Bell bought his second-hand boat - a 7.6m long, 1.4 wide Peter Bosgraaf design, re-christened Billy No Mates - for £15,000. And since 2016, he has spent almost twice that fitting it out with hydraulic steering and autopilot, new hatches, solar panels, batteries, a new water maker, and all manner of other modifications.

When Dinger sets out from Liberty Landings, he faces extreme conditions, not least a route renowned for its cold and stormy, inconsistent weather patterns but also one that takes him through the notorious Georges Banks and the Grand Banks, where the Andrea Gale disaster unfolded. This event was made famous by book and film The Perfect Storm.

"You have deep ocean swells hitting shallow waters, that's what jacks the size of the waves up. It is a very dangerous place to be, so I am very thankful to Crewsaver for donating the Crewsaver equipment. I could need it."

Other than Billy No Mates - the boat itself is always the safest of havens - Bell's survival equipment includes a Crewsaver immersion suit, lifejacket and safety line, a pair of McMurdo EPIRBS and two Fast Find Personal Locator Beacons (PLB).

One of these will be fitted to a safety harness worn while rowing, the other to Bell's lifejacket. Both PLBs provide the ability to summon help if he becomes separated from his boat and other emergency gear.

Although two thirds of those that have attempted to row across the North Atlantic have failed, the New York to Falmouth crossing - referred to as the "classic route" - is particularly difficult due to the unpredictable, inclement weather. Only twelve crews have managed to row the route in more than a century.

The first successful crossing was in 1896 by two Norwegian fishermen. Since then, only one person has rowed this route solo. That was Ollie Hicks, in 2005. However, he was forced to take a resupply after running out of food. This means the 'classic' route has still never been rowed solo and unsupported.

Dinger Bell hopes to be the first.

To support Dinger in his NY2UK row charity, please visit: ny2uksolorow.co.uk or ny2uksolorow on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Donate here

Related Articles

Angling for a Cure Rods & Ribbons 2025 Campaign
The all-ladies sea angling team is reuniting to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK Rods & Ribbons, the all-ladies sea angling team, is reuniting in 2025 to continue their inspiring mission of raising awareness and vital funds for Cancer Research UK. Posted on 31 Jan
Crewsaver unveils ErgoFit 290n lifejacket
Unrivalled comfort and protection on display at METSTRADE The new ErgoFit 290N lifejacket from Survitec's leading lifejacket brand, Crewsaver, redefines safety, comfort and performance standards for offshore and ocean sailing. Posted on 20 Nov 2024
Get your Limited Edition Pink Crewsaver Lifejacket
100% of proceeds to Cancer Research UK! Crewsaver set an ambitious target of raising £15,000 for Cancer Research UK in 2024, and are now 89% of the way there, raising £13,403.10 at the time of writing, with an extra £1,984.25 raised through GiftAid. Posted on 12 Sep 2024
Rods & Ribbons
The UK's First All-Ladies Sea Angling Team support Cancer Research UK After making waves at the 2024 Sea Angling Classic, the UK's first all-ladies sea angling team has decided to continue their journey under a new banner—Rods & Ribbons. Posted on 14 Aug 2024
Trailblazing All-Ladies Team Crewsaver United
In the Sea Angling Classic, Championing Cancer Awareness Team Crewsaver, the first all-ladies fishing team to enter the Sea Angling Classic, made an indelible mark on the event, held from June 20-23, 2024, at Premier Marina Port Solent, UK. Posted on 2 Jul 2024
All-ladies team set for Sea Angling Classic
Raising vital funds to donate to Cancer Research UK Team Crewsaver, comprising of four women with varying levels of fishing experience, aims to raise vital funds to donate to Cancer Research UK to support the fight against cancer. Posted on 12 Jun 2024
Special edition Crewfit 165N Sport lifejacket
Crewsaver donates profits from new pink life jacket to Cancer UK Crewsaver has unveiled a special edition of its iconic Crewfit 165N Sport life jacket in vibrant pink, raising awareness and vital funds for breast cancer awareness with 100% of sales being donated to Cancer Research UK. Posted on 25 Mar 2024
Crewsaver joins forces with Sea Angling Classic
The UK's biggest sea fishing catch and release competition Crewsaver, Survitec's leading lifejacket brand, has announced its partnership with Sea Angling Classic, the UK's biggest sea fishing catch and release competition, as the official safety partner for the upcoming 2024 season. Posted on 16 Nov 2023
Crewsaver ErgoFit Solas
Taking survival technology to new heights with 'wear all day' lifejacket The new ErgoFit SOLAS lifejacket from Survitec's leading lifejacket brand, Crewsaver, redefines safety, comfort, and performance for those engaged in challenging tasks on wind turbines and during offshore crew transfer operations. Posted on 6 Sep 2023