Round Britain for the RNLI Blog

Now that the trip is over I can’t help feeling that the media, in general, missed an opportunity. With more media coverage this trip could have generated so much more for the RNLI but with a few notable exceptions of Plymouth, Isle of Man, Inverness and Peterhead and Lowestoft, there was very little local coverage of the event in spite of Sally’s huge efforts to get them interested and keeping them informed of my schedule so they could catch up with me when in port.

I had no TV coverage and only 2 radio interviews. I was expecting so much more and I have to accept that I misread the media in this respect. 

Still, they are a fickle bunch and I suppose that they have limited resources and have to respond on a day by day basis to the events that are happening locally and it is very possible that at almost every port they had more news-worthy items to report upon. However, I can’t help being disappointed at the very limited coverage I received for the sake of the RNLI.

On a very positive note though… where I did receive coverage I saw, visibly the benefit. I had people coming to my collection point just to talk to me and to donate to the RNLI! That was very hmbling to think that people would put themselves out so much to give to the RNLI. MOB Guardian was well covered and I feel that I did raise the profile of this superb livesaving equipment. I gave out over 2000 business cards on my travels and on the back of most are the 5 basic sea safety points so hopefully, if just one person takes notice, then I feel it was worthwhile.

Another miscalculation of mine was sending a poster to every sailing club. It cost over £800 but I thought it would generate a huge amount of interest but as far as I can tell it probably generated almost none. A lesson for others doing a similar thing perhaps.

Finally, I misjudged the amount of enthusiasm I would generate for sponsors to come on board. I got some great sponsors but I spent a huge effort before the trip trying to persuade businesses to donate just £200 towards the costs of the trip. I couldn’t imagine that I would have trouble finding 22 businesses to give £200 each given what I was offering them in return. I didn’t manage it and only received about half of the sponsorship I was expecting and I have made up the difference out of my own pocket. In a way I am happy with that. I have had a great time and a great experience and gone round Britain in my own boat but it is sad that so few wanted to be a part of the event and to contribute towards such a good cause.

So, although the trip was a huge success from a boating point of view I feel disappointed in many of the non-boating aspects and I have to accept that I was carried away a little with my enthusasm for the event and just assumed that others would be similarly excited. Some were… but nowhere near as many as I hoped or expected and yet general public interest in the event has been excellent. From the messages I have received it is clear that I have inspired many, boaters and non-boaters alike, and the web site hit stats show that hundreds of people followed me round. Yet somehow that has not yet converted into hundreds of donations through the web site…

So I urge you… please, if you followed me round, or even if you didn’t, please make a donation by clicking on the button at the top right of this page. You can do so by credit or debit card and it goes directly to the RNLI. Even £1 will make a difference.

I just wanted to give a big and public THANK YOU to all my various sponsors and helpers that helped me get back to Plymouth safely and in doing so helped me to do good work for the RNLI.

I will list you all in due course and you will be listed in any publications in magazines or books but before I sit down and list you properly I want to thank you personally now. In your own individual ways, you have made this trip possible, bearable, safe and profitable for the RNLI and it would not have been all those things without your help, enthusiasm and support both before and during the trip. You should all feel very proud indeed to have assisted in whatever ways you did, small or large, as I am proud to have worked with you and met you all.

I know that some have benefitted significantly from being associated with the event and others just wanted to be a part of it and just contributing was enough but whatever your hopes for your association with me and this event I hope you thought it worthwhile and I hope too that your experience with this event would encourage you to make similar efforts for good causes in the future.

Many, many thanks to you all.

Steve Burrows of SBA, leg sponsor for the Douglas Isle of Man to Bangor Northern Ireland leg, went onto Manx Radio to promote the event and the MOB Guardian System.

Listen to Steve’s interview here - interview starts at about 47 mins in.

I want to thank Steve for doing this on my behalf and also to ask any others that wish to promote the event to their local radio/media then PLEASE do so. Also, if you can arrange any media interviews with me when I arrive in your local port then please do that too. Don’t forget to let me know about it though will you

Well it is less than 3 weeks to go and I am still in need of sponsorship funds to make this trip happen .

So, if you were thinking about helping and just haven’t got around to it yet now is the time let me know.

Considering how much Round Britain events usually cost this event is costing next to nothing so please, it is to raise funds for the RNLI and to help them spread the word about MOB Guardian and Sea Safety so it is for the very best of causes.

It costs millions each year to run and maintain the fleet of lifeboats and lifeguards. The crews are volunteers but they need equipment and training. It costs £1000 per crew member per year to keep the crews trained and as there are over 230 lifeboats stations it runs into millions just for crew training.

The RNLI is NOT government funded and ALL of that money comes from donations from the public.

That is what this event is about… raising money for the RNLI "Train one, save many" campaign to provide funds for crew training.

So, if you have a company and want to be involved in helping me raise £30,000 for the RNLI please get in touch at paul@roundbritain.org.uk . I do not expect something for nothing and I can offer promotional opportunities ranging from branding on the boat to my personal promotion of your company or products. Web site exposure is included as is inclusion in the sponsor list in any articles such as in Motor Boats Monthly.

More information on the RNLI is at www.rnli.org.uk

I am delighted to announce that Canland UK (Hot Pack) Ltd have come on board as official main meal supplier!

With 70 - 90 days away it is essential that I can guarantee that I have a meal at the end of each day. Having Hot Pack Self-Heating Meals on board will mean that I will have a nourishing and tasty meal at least once a day guaranteed and I am pleased to welcome Canland UK as one of my partners.

Hot Pack™ Self-Heating Nutritious Meals offer a cost effective solution for instant hot food and is the answer for Non-Magnesium Flameless Ration pack heating, away from home or base.

Hot Pack™ Self-Heating Meals

offer a whole new concept to "instant" hot food and is the answer to having a hot meal, away from home or base, without needing any other heating or cooking equipment! With a heating time of only 10-12 minutes, Hot Pack™ is ideal for using in remote locations, or even to take to outdoor music festivals, sports meetings, motor rally’s etc. Take a Hot Pack™ to work or the office or when working outdoors as a warm alternative to lunchtime sandwiches.

Who can use Hot Pack™ Meals? Answer: Anyone!

What is the shelf-life? Answer: 3 years from production (Best Before Date).

Each Hot Pack™ Self-Heating Meal contains a delicious and wholesome 300g cooked, ready to eat meal in a pouch, with a dish, knife, fork, salt and pepper, serviette, and a 45ml sachet of water to activate the heater. Everything is included to enjoy a satisfying serving of one of seven delicious Hot Pack™ recipes anywhere you like! Each Hot Pack™ weighs only 420g. This, together with the compact outer box, makes it light to carry and easy to store. The box acts as an oven during heating, but is also a useful receptacle for putting the used items inside and carefully disposing of later.

Great news for everyone wanting to follow me as I go Round Britain…

MarineTrack, leading provider of Telematic Systems, is providing me with a tracking device that will allow you to tranck my progress as I travel round. I don’t have all the technical details yet but it will mean that you will be able to view my progress in real time when I am at sea!

Established in 1998 by a group of telematic engineers specialising in remote medical monitoring, MarineTrack responded to the remote monitoring needs of the Super Yacht Industry. Many Super Yacht owners wanted to track their expensive assets and in creating a solution to this industry requirement MarineTrack developed what was widely regarded as the first Ship Security Alert System (SSAS).

MarineTrack continues to lead the market in the manufacturer of high quality reliable Ship Security Alert Systems providing tracking solutions in the commercial shipping market with well known companies including Shell and Royal Caribbean Cruises.

MarineTrack’s systems are versatile and continue to evolve to meet the ever increasing demands of a global industry. Our specially configured web based interface allows our customers to perform real time, fleet wide, tracking of their floating assets, remote engine monitoring/management and simplified Company Security Officer alerting.

Please take a look at the MarineTrack web site here before you leave.

Great news! Reeds Nautical have agreed to be an event sponsor. Apart from financial support they have provided me with the data and information necessary to plan such a trip safety in the form of the Reeds Nautical Almanac.

Coming soon is Reeds Nautical Online. A new version of the famous "Yachtman’s Bible" that will allow searching online and the ability to print sections thereby providing an alternative to either the full almanac or the looseleaf version. Pricing will be similar to the current printed copy price and with such capabilities it is sure to be a huge success.

Watch out at www.reedsnauticalonline.co.uk for more information.

Please have a read…

http://www.suzuki-marine.co.uk/news/detail.php?id=000714

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce that Suzuki Marine UK have agreed to be Title Partner for the event.

With the boat being powered by a Suzuki DF115 4-stroke outboard motor this will ensure that I have the very best of support.

Suzuki has long been the innovator in outboard motors and their range of ultimate 4-stroke outboards offer the ideal blend of performance and dependability for any kind of boating. From the lightweight and portable 2.5hp to the award winning power of the 300hp, Suzuki has the outboard for you. All Suzuki outboards provide environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient 4-stroke technology at affordable prices. Plus the 5 year warranty promotion for 2008 gives you even more reason to choose a Suzuki outboard.

Please click on the logo, visit their web site and have a look at the DF range of 4-stroke motors. I have owned 3 now (DF140, DF115 & DF2.5) and I can say from personal experience they are reliable, economical and very, very quiet!

We are now starting to get Leg Sponsors booking themselves to sponsor specific legs.

Just £200 and we can offer you local publicity when in port, inclusion in our sponsor list, inclusion in the MBM Feature article and inclusion on the web site with a logo/link.

Get in early before your leg gets taken.

More info at Sponsorship