South Staffordshire Sailing Club members raise £1000 for RNLI
by Michelle Evans 18 Sep 2013 09:57 BST
7-8 September 2013
Two sailors from a Midlands club completed a mammoth endurance challenge on 7 September by sailing non-stop for 24 hours to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Student Sam Blocksidge (20) and landscape gardener Ed Dutton (21), who were sailing in a GP14, had been planning and training for the feat for a year. They are members of South Staffordshire Sailing Club at Gailey which takes part in the Crewsaver 24 Hour Race in Southport every year.
So far they have raised a whopping £1,000 for the RNLI and hope, with sponsorship money still coming in, they will reach £1,500.
When deciding which charity they were going to raise money for there was no hesitation. "It's a charity that is close to my heart," explains Sam. "The volunteers drop everything to go and help people in trouble at sea and save a lot of lives."
Ed was one that they helped. He said: "I was once in a tricky situation when I had to call on them and was very grateful for their support."
The intrepid duo competed in the race completely unassisted. They had to take all of their food and drink with them on the boat. With 48 bottles of water and sports drinks, 25kg of food - including cold beans, sausages and sugar packed jelly, it made the beginning of the race difficult because of the extra weight. "It was effectively like having a third person and the boat was very low in the water. It was a little hard to steer at times," explained Ed.
The sailors felt confident going into the race but didn't quite expect it to be as tough as it was. Sam recalls: "We were prepared for the physical challenge but nothing could prepare us for the mental and emotional challenge and just how draining it would be."
Ed added: "I really hit the wall between 3am and 9am. Even when daylight broke I couldn't see the end and I'd started to hate sailing! You can forget it hurts but it was so mentally tough to try and concentrate on the race, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done."
Thankfully 24 hours in each other's company hasn't damaged their friendship. "We didn't really fall out. The biggest problem we had was that we were eating at different times so as one of us would be on a 'jelly sugar rush', the other would be in a bit of an energy slump. The support from people at the event really kept us going though, we had other competitors chatting to us and cheers and shouts of encouragement from the South Staffs team on shore," said Ed.
Speaking after the event Nick Brandon, Commodore at South Staffs Sailing Club, said: "Sam and Ed were competing against 60 other teams and came a very respectable 23rd. The winning team, also from South Staffs, consisted of eight members. Other teams rotated as many as 16 sailors during the same time Sam and Ed sailed solo, so this was a fantastic effort from them and the club is very proud of what they have achieved."
Although tired and cold at the end of the race, Ed and Sam took time to thank spectators and pose for photos that people wanted to take.
"We just really wanted to complete the challenge and make everyone proud," continued Sam. "The support was unbelievable. It was spectacular when we raised a RNLI flag to raucous cheers from the crowds on shore. I really can't thank the people who supported us enough, and I couldn't be more proud of what we have achieved for such a worthy cause."
"I'd also like to thank Skitts Estate Agents in Wolverhampton and Martin Evans Construction in Codsall for their corporate sponsorship, and Goacher Sails and Ginger Boats for their help with equipment." Ed added.
After their tiring effort, the fundraisers were presented with a pillow each to rousing applause at the prize giving event.
If you want to make a donation to the RNLI on behalf of Sam and Ed you can visit their fundraising webpage: www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/samandeds24challenge