The Old Pulteney ‘Ice Boat’ is Unveiled
Ahead of Record Breaking Arctic
Adventure.
Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky
and explorer Jock Wishart, yesterday
unveiled a specially designed ‘ice boat’
which will be rowed in a pioneering
arctic expedition – The Old Pulteney Row
to the Pole. The bespoke boat has been
constructed to withstand some of the
harshest conditions on earth and enable
Jock and his crew to conquer one of the
world’s last true firsts – the first
ever attempt to row to a pole, possibly
the greatest ocean row ever.
The vessel and some of its crew were
revealed for the first time today at the
Natural History Museum’s outdoor ice
rink in central London, where the boats
unique arctic attributes were put to the
test.
In July/August 2011, internationally
acclaimed adventurer and sportsman Jock
Wishart will lead a six strong team on
the pioneering Row to the Pole
expedition. In the bespoke ice boat,
they will set off from Canada on a 450
mile route across the arctic on a voyage
to the magnetic North Pole which if
successful, will make history. The
challenge is of global significance as
both a pioneering maritime adventure and
an environmental expedition and has only
now become possible due to the increase
in seasonal sea ice melt and its
deterioration because of climate
changes. The final leg of the journey is
only navigable for a few weeks of the
year before refreezing and Jock and his
crew will be working with scientific
research partners to deliver
environmental data and insight from the
journey.
The unique rowing boat, known as "The
Old Pulteney", was designed by yacht
designer Peter Bosgraaf from Amsterdam
in collaboration with Devon-based Hugh
Welbourne and Roger Daynes, a leading
British sledge designer. This 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 the crew to
drag the boat over the ice to" leads"
they could row on to complete the final
leg of their journey. This gruelling
feat was last attempted by Sir Ernest
Shackleton in 1916 who was forced to
drag his boats to safety over the ice
during his Imperial Trans Antarctic
expedition.
The vessel, which was 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 1.82 m 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),on the final stage of its
journey from the UK. The Old Pulteney
has been constructed to accommodate six
crew and their equipment during the four
to six week voyage. The colouring of the
boat incorporates Old Pulteney whisky’s
dark blue in its top sides to help
absorb heat during the expedition and
its golden underside was selected for
visibility should it capsize.
To reach the magnetic North Pole, Jock,
who is a descendant of Scotland’s
national bard Robert Burns, will row for
hours on end in challenging weather and
subzero temperatures with little chance
for rest or shelter. Joining him will be
36 years old Billy Gammon a British born
ex advertising executive who took part
in the Indian Ocean race in 2009, South
African born Rob Sleep who worked for
ten years on a variety of yachts
circumnavigating the world and has
walked to the Pole on several
occasions,36 year old climber, rower and
"super yacht" captain Mark Delstanche, a
Row to the Pole cameraman and the winner
of Old Pulteney’s international
competition Pole Position, who will be
announced at the London Boat Show in
January.
Margaret Mary Clarke, Brand Manager, Old
Pulteney says: "We are delighted to
unveil such a truly magnificent boat.
The Old Pulteney Row to the Pole has
been planned for three years and we are
confident that the crew will be toasting
their success next Summer in the Pole
with a dram of Old Pulteney.”
Old Pulteney’s partnership with Jock is
rooted in the whisky’s renowned maritime
heritage and history of supporting
sailing and seafaring adventure. The
whisky is distilled in the historic
harbour town of Wick, the most northerly
distillery on the UK mainland and the
windswept and rugged landscape that
surrounds it has given the malt its
legacy as the Maritime Malt
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