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TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS
23 Dec 2010
A Merry Christmas and join me over a glass of Old Pulteney for a Guid New Year at the Excell Boat Show in January.
Jock
An Outstanding Performance
22 Dec 2010
Well, we finally have it, the evidence on film of a truly outstanding performance by the 48 hopefuls.
I can honestly say we tested them both physically and mentally in preparation to select our pole position winner. The winner will be announced at The LONDON BOAT SHOW in January, however I must extend my appreciation and admiration for all those that took part in the trials – take a look at the video to see them in action!
The Old Pulteney “ice boat” revealed
08 Dec 2010
The Old Pulteney “ice boat” revealed
Yesterday on the outdoor ice rink at the Natural History Museum we finally unveiled our custom built vessel ‘The Old Pulteney’. This truly is a magnificent and unique rowing boat, specially designed by yacht designer Peter Bosgraaf from Amsterdam in collaboration with Devon-based Hugh Welbourne and Roger Daynes, a leading British sledge designer.
This fine vessel is the first rowing boat in the world to have a "cathedral hull" with sledge runners fitted underneath. This unique feature, combined with attachment points for harnesses, will enable us to drag the boat over the ice when we are not busy rowing.
The vessel, built in Christchurch, Dorset by Rossiter Yachts, is sheathed in carbon fibre and kevlar to withstand extreme arctic conditions yet remain light enough for the crew to pull. With a planned weight of 900 kilos, its 9.2 m by 1.82m dimensions were dictated by the size of the plane in Canada which will fly the boat in from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, Canada (the starting off point for the expedition).
The Old Pulteney will accommodate the six crew and our equipment during the four to six week voyage. It’s amazing to see it finally ready for action after three years in the planning, and the striking paint job is not just for vanity either. The dark blue in its top sides helps absorb heat during the expedition and its golden underside was selected for visibility just in case we capsize.
All we need to do now is put it through some trials and get some serious training underway, to ensure we get the job done next summer. Helping us unveil the boat were three of our crew members - come back soon for profiles of each of them, before we announce the final member, the winner of our pole position competition in January at the London Boat Show.