On 19th January 2020, the Force Atlantic officially completed the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2019. Departing from La Gomera on 12th December 2019 alongside 34 other teams, the team of four have conquered massive adversity whilst crossing the Atlantic Ocean, known as the ‘World’s Toughest Row’.
The team suffered flooded cabins, broken oars, bruised and battered ribs and shins, sea sickness, injured hands and feet, dehydration, skin infections and loss of appetite. This still was not enough to deter the team however, as the 3 Army Officers; Lt Col Richard Hall MBE, Captain Chris Hames, Captain Alexander Walsh and 18 year old Private Soldier; Kian Helm, still retained incredible speed and determination before crossing 9th at the finishing line after 37 days, 13 hours, 53 minutes at sea.
The Force Atlantic became the first Armed Forces team in history to take on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, since their rigorous training began in early 2019, the team have worked closely with like-minded organisations to raise publicity of the challenge, as well as aiming to raise a targeted £100K in sponsorship for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
Kingsman Kian Helm also broke a personal World Record as he officially became the ‘Youngest Person To Row The Atlantic’ as part of a team.
As proud Gold Sponsors for the team, RSS Infrastructure Ltd became partners with the team in May, and as a result the company have formed a strong alliance with the team members. Both parties have offered support and guidance with their previous endeavours over the last year, with Auctus Management Group Ltd, parent company of RSS Infrastructure Ltd, being awarded the Armed Forces Gold Covenant Award, as a result of their strong connections and charity work with Armed Forces affiliated organisations.
The team were interviewed by Forces Network on ‘ForcesTV’, which can be found below:
For more information on the Force Atlantic and the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge: https://www.forceatlantic.com/
