With his first child on the way, ocean adventurer John-Kenneth D. Habbershaw Jnr. only wants the best
marine pyrotechnics for his 3,000-mile ‘dinghy with a lid’ challenge.
Partnering with Pains Wessex
That’s why he and close friend Courtney W. Hollyoake, are partnering with the trusted Pains Wessex
flares brand for their December Atlantic charity challenge.
John-Kenneth, a marine surveyor from Essex and Courtney, a Skills Trainer for a Midlands manufacturer,
aim to travel unassisted from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean in their tiny 17ft. (5.2m)-long sailing
boat, Poppet. The last recorded Atlantic crossing in a similar Leisure 17 vessel was in 1969. The boat is so
small, there is no room for a toilet.
He says. “I actually have my first little one on the way in June. My wife is very insistent we start the
challenge in December before he or she gets mobile.
We want the best safety products
“Pains Wessex is the traditional flare company. They know what they are doing. We only want the best
safety products on our boat, for our own peace of mind, as well as our wives’!
“I am a marine surveyor, mostly working in the leisure sector surveying boats. I read the MCA reports, I
look at accident reports and see that good pyrotechnics have helped here. They are still the globally
recognised way of raising the alarm in a distress situation and for visual signalling. LED technology is still
a long way off in terms of light output.”
John-Kenneth and Courtney are former emergency service volunteers and are raising money for four UK
charities: Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind, MS-UK and St Helena Hospice (Colchester). John-Kenneth’s
mother-in-law has multiple sclerosis, so MS-UK was a natural choice.
Dinghy with a lid adventure
The dinghy with a lid adventurers aim to arrive in Tenerife in early December for the 4-6 week challenge. They will then get Poppet ready for the crossing and will leave when the weather allows.
“The winds can be quite high around Tenerife, so we need to make sure they are pointing the right way
to get us offshore far enough to give us that kick off the continent.”
While John-Kenneth is an experienced sailor who has worked with ocean rowers for seven years,
Courtney has done no sailing. “The nearest he has got is a trip on Pirates of the Caribbean at
Disneyland!”
Courtney, who will act as the watchkeeper on the challenge, has started his RYA theory training. He
hopes to complete his RYA day skipper practical before summer, if COVID protocols allow, and complete
200 hours before December.
John-Kenneth says, “I am the Skipper. Courtney’s equally important First Mate and Watchkeeper role
will enable us to share responsibility for daily tasks and maintenance and so I can go down below, have a
sleep, eat – personal care. He is keen to learn as much as possible this summer and to do things properly.
I wouldn’t be able to make the trip without him.”
Poppet will be equipped with a solar and wind-powered rechargeable electric motor, which should
provide around a 20-40 miles a day boost of motor-sailing in favourable conditions.
“We are using renewables and are trying to be as sustainable as possible. We have ocean-friendly
washing products and ocean-friendly products for the boat. We are having no fossil-fuel propulsion on
board.”
Biggest challenges
The biggest challenge for the pair is facing unpredictable weather. “That is the only part of the thing that
we won’t have control of. We can plan for bad weather, for bits falling off the boat, for de-rigs, but we
can’t guarantee the weather. We can only go when statistically it looks the safest and clearest.
“We are hoping it should be fairly pleasant. It is mostly downwind sailing where hopefully the boat will
just need trimming occasionally. But there is the unknown that we could get an unseasonal hurricane or
really bad storm.
“The other thing with the little one on the way is I am going to miss my family. The isolation is going to
be one of the biggest things that I am worried about, which is partly why I am taking one of my best
friends. We have been through thick and thin over the years, so he is the go-to guy I trust.”
The restrictions brought about by the pandemic mean John-Kenneth and Courtney have been unable to
go “bucket-shaking” and to fundraising events to collect donations in aid of their favourite charities.
They are hoping that will change from March, as lockdowns are relaxed. Meanwhile, they are appealing to the public to donate online.
For more details about the challenge and details of where charity donations can be made go to:
http://www.sofatosailboat.co.uk/donate.
The post Only the best marine safety pyros for Atlantic ‘dinghy with a lid’ adventure appeared first on WesCom – Signal and Rescue.
