Wrapping up for Monkey Fist Adventures challenge

GWP have been able to help a charity event in an unusual way – providing work space to allow a boat which is due to be rowed across 2 oceans to be vinyl wrapped for the event.

Organised by Monkey Fist adventures, the Brain Waves challenge will see a team of people row across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. With some crew members living with Parkinson’s Disease or PTSD, this will create a unique environment to generate invaluable research data for Oxford Brookes University.

The boat is being wrapped by local firm C3 Marketing, with GWP’s new warehouse facility providing a dry, clean environment to do so.

The Brain Waves Challenge will take place in 2020, and will consist of rowing across the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

As well as providing research data for ongoing studies into PTSD and Parkinson’s (members of the crew are living with these conditions), it will also aim to achieve two world firsts.

These are being the first to row across two oceans in the same calendar year, and will also be the first people to row non-stop between Australia and Africa non-stop (continent to continent).

January 2020 will see the first crew of 4 leave from Lanzarote, before rowing 3,200 miles to Antigua on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Depending on weather conditions, this is expected to take anywhere between 35 and 45 days. This is even more remarkable when you consider more people have been into space than have successfully rowed across the Atlantic!

One of the crew members on this leg is living with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease. This will allow for a partnership with Oxford Brookes University and provide data to be used in pioneering research projects into the illness’ cause.

Once arrived in Antigua (and after a short break!), 2 new crew members will join the team and then take on the Indian Ocean. There will be 2 potential destinations – Durban and Mombasa – due to unpredictable currents and weather patterns.

Successful completion of this leg of the challenge would see them enter the record books as the first people to row two different oceans in a year, as well as the first ever crossing from Australia to mainland Africa.

With the combined distance of the crossings being the best part of 8,500 miles, and the Indian Ocean crossing requiring the crew to be reliant for over 100 days, the boat is obviously of critical importance.

Named “Brain Waves”, the boat is 29 ft. long, just under 6 ft. wide, and will effectively be the crew’s bed, kitchen and life support system during the challenge. Saying that, the only shelter is a tiny cabin no bigger than a small double bed.

Besides this, being unsupported the crew will have to deal with everything thrown at them. This includes any repairs, medical emergencies and so on. Specialist help could take up to 5 days to arrive if it were ever required.

Their shift pattern will see the crew rowing in pairs, with 2 hours of rowing followed by 2 hours of resting. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week.  This means that during the Indian Ocean leg, no crew member will get more than 90 minutes of sleep at a time, for upwards of 100 days!

Considering the extreme nature of the challenge, the crew can expect to experience not only significant sleep deprivation, but also extreme fatigue and huge weight loss too.

GWP have long had a good relationship with C3 Marketing, having worked on a number of projects together in the past.

So when they approached GWP with a request for assistance, we were more than happy to help!

Due to various commitments, and the size of the boat itself, C3 were struggling to find appropriate workspace to carry out the wrapping procedure.

As such, GWP cleared space within the new warehouse unit – opened towards the end of 2018 – that allowed for the boat to be safely stored whilst also allowing for Doug to apply the wrap in a clean, dry and cool environment.

Monkey Fist Adventure was founded by Alex and Billy, who originally came together through both their love of adventure and a desire to improve the world we live in.

Monkey Fist Adventures has partnered with and aims to help a number of charities.

The European Parkinson’s Disease Association (EPDA) is arguably the most well-known charity partner. It is the only European Parkinson’s umbrella organisation, having been active for more than 25 years.

Other partners include Clear Trust, enabling people suffering from neurological difficulties, brain injuries or spinal damage to participate in physical exercise. The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT) is a medical research charity that works in the field of tissue regeneration. And finally, Combat Stress is the UK’s leading charity for veteran’s mental health.

You can find out more about the challenge, Monkey Fist Adventures and their charity partners by visiting: monkeyfistadventures.com

The ultimate aim of the challenge is to make a significant, positive impact for those who have been diagnosed with either PTSD or Parkinson’s.

With the goal of raising £100,000 for their charity partners – and needing £82,000 to cover the costs of the challenge – it is imperative to get sponsors on board.

If you or your business would like to help, there are a number of different sponsorship packages available. These start at just £250.

For further information about the challenge, or to get involved, please visit monkeyfistadventures.com. You can also see coverage of the challenge in the Swindon Advertiser.