City West Country are incredibly proud to sponsor our very own Warranty Administrator Richard Blackmore’s team – Sea Change Atlantic – in rowing across the Atlantic in 2027 for charity.
Endorsed by Izzy Hammond, Michael Caines, Darren Gough, AJ and Curtis Pritchard, Billy Billingham, Sir Steve Redgrave, Ben Fogle, and Martin Clunes to name a few, the group Sea Change Atlantic are taking part in the world’s longest organised rowing event – the Atlantic Dash – to raise awareness and money for charities Parkinson’s UK and Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support.
Team Sea Change Atlantic comprises Richard Blackmore, Adam Benjamin, David ‘Maddie’ Pyle, and Simon Burke. They will be straining every sinew as they row across open ocean from Rubicon Marina, Lanzarote to Jolly Harbour, Antigua. The 3,200-mile journey is expected to take a few weeks between the four of them, meaning the crew will have to desalinate more than 2,000 litres of water and eat over 1,000,000 calories.
Sea Change Atlantic are aiming to raise more than £100,000 for their chosen charities.
Richard Blackmore said:
“The idea started in February when Adam [Benjamin], who I know through Cornish gig rowing, said ‘I have this mad idea… are you interested?!’ I didn’t have to think about it twice, I said ‘yes’.
“We all came together on a Teams chat and the ball started rolling, with Maddie creating our excellent website and the main drive to purchase our boat in the summer. We managed to do this, purchasing the Mayflower from four Plymouth rowers who completed the row this year (though it took a strike from a marlin – a swordfish-like fish that punctured a hole in the hull). We were able to purchase the Mayflower from the kind sponsorship of 100 Green, Bucks Music, K&N Logistics, City West Country, and other kind people.
“The team dynamics changed a few months ago leaving us as a crew of four. We’re all from a Cornish gig rowing background. This summer has seen us towing the boat through Lyme Regis carnival and attending Blisland Village Fayre; since then we have also released our crowdfunding link to push to get the last £40,000 needed to buy the items for the boat. You can find the crowdfunder here, which will be used to raise valuable funds for our amazing charities of Parkinson’s UK and Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support.
“We also hope to feature at various events next year, like the World Gig Championship in the Scillies (we will row the boat there), the Royal Cornwall County Show, The Boat Show, and various other events around our fabulous South West coastline.
“No matter what people are able to donate, we appreciate every contribution that has allowed us to achieve this fantastic adventure. If you want to donate £25 for your name on the boat or £40 for food for each rower for a day, every little counts towards our target of raising £100,000 for our charities. To top it off, you’ll be able to follow our journey live via StarLink when we set off from Lanzarote to Antigua in January 2027.”