Please select your home edition
Edition

Icom Support Charity 'Race to Scotland' Sailing Record Attempt

by Ian Lockyer, ICOM UK 31 Mar 2017 13:29 BST 31 March 2017
Icom UK support Ken Fowler's Charity ‘Race to Scotland' sailing record attempt © Race to Scotland

Icom UK are supporting Ken Fowler who aims to sail from Land's End to John O'Groats in a dinghy to raise £50,000 for two amazing charities, Cancer Research and Oakhaven Hospice. Icom has supplied an IC-M25EURO radio with HM-213 speaker microphone to help keep him safe and in contact with his support team on his epic trip to Scotland.

If successful, Ken will become only the second person to complete this amazing journey in a single handed dinghy and aims to break the record for the smallest and fastest dinghy. He will be sailing alone for over 900 miles, spending 10 hours a day on the boat.

Ken's journey will begin on West Coast of Britain starting in Cornwall and then sailing across the Bristol Channel to Wales. From there the route will take him up to Anglesey and then across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man – a big crossing for such a small dinghy. From the Isle of Man he will be setting sail for Scotland and then making his way past Mull, Skye and the other scenic islands of the West Coast.

Along the route Ken will be facing strong tidal races, big waves, whirlpools and at the end of the day the challenge of finding a surf battered beach to land on. This is not for the faint hearted!

Ken's boat is an RS Aero – a high performance modern dinghy which is about 4 metres long and weighs 30kg – about the same as a Labrador! There are no home comforts on board and most of the time half his body will be hanging out of the boat to keep it upright!

Being out there in this challenging environment means safety is a priority so he will always be wearing a buoyancy aid and an emergency locator beacon. He will also be carrying an Icom IC-M25EURO marine VHF with speaker microphone so that he can operate the radio hands free. Ken said, 'we needed a small, (because the boat is!!), waterproof VHF that floats, is easy to use and has a good battery life...the IC-M25EURO fitted the bill.' Land support will be in the form of Ken's 20 year old campervan "Snowy" being driven by two of his friends. They will be following him along the coast monitoring his progress, identifying the best landing location and helping him sort ut at the end of the day with accommodation and food.

Launch date is the 7th May 2017 and Ken hopes to arrive in John O Groats some 20-30 days later – weather permitting!

Everyone at Icom wishes Ken every success for this sailing attempt.

For further information about this record attempt click on www.racetoscotland.co.uk.

You can also follow the projects social media pages www.facebook.com/RacetoScotland and twitter.com/racetoscotland.

Related Articles

New IC-M25 EVO Marine VHF Radio
Buoyant marine VHF handheld radio designed to provide superior performance The Icom IC-M25 EVO is a new buoyant marine VHF handheld radio designed to provide superior performance on the water for those participating in boating and water-based activities. Posted on 20 Apr
Icom Unveils IC-M510 EVO
The evolution of an advanced fixed-mount marine VHF radio Icom UK is pleased to announce the debut of the IC-M510 EVO, an evolution of its renowned and award-winning IC-M510 Marine VHF fixed-mount radio. This new model provides a self-contained single-model solution boasting many advanced features. Posted on 20 Nov 2024
Introducing the IP-M60
The World's First* LTE & VHF Marine Hybrid Transceiver Designed to meet the evolving needs of maritime professionals, the IP-M60 combines the reliability of traditional VHF communications with the versatility of 4G LTE connectivity providing users with communication covering both land & at sea. Posted on 17 May 2024
Icom MA-510TR Class B AIS Transponder overview
Watch this new video added to the Icom UK YouTube channel! Icom UK has added a new video to its YouTube channel that provides an overview of Icom's compact MA-510TR Class B AIS Transponder. Posted on 14 Mar 2024
The Importance of Marine VHF Communication
Case Study with Ocean Youth Trust South Icom UK has published a new article about the incredible work of Ocean Youth Trust South, a charitable organisation based in Gosport, that provides transformative experiences for young crew members from a variety of backgrounds aboard their 30-metre ketch Posted on 8 Mar 2024
Icom Launches Groundbreaking VHF/LTE Hybrid Radio
METSTRADE sees a major innovation in radio communication with a world first Icom has unveiled a major innovation in radio communication with the world's first Marine VHF/LTE Hybrid Radio.... the IP-M60. Posted on 16 Nov 2023
Icom Introduces the Black Box VHF Radios
Install out of sight, then use with Multi-Station Control Icom is pleased to announce the launch of the IC-M410BB and IC-M510BB Black Box VHF Radios with Multi-Station Control. These innovative marine radios offer enhanced functionality and flexibility for communication on board various vessels. Posted on 1 Aug 2023
Icom launches IC-U20SR
Ultra-Compact, User-Friendly, Licence-Free Two-Way Radio Icom is pleased to announce the launch of the IC-U20SR ultra compact PMR446 licence-free two-way radio. Posted on 14 Jul 2023