Trevor Drew to attempt Atlantic yacht race in aid of GARC

Trevor Drew, Head ofVirology at AHVLA Weybridge, is competing in a yacht race across the AtlanticOcean in June, in aid of Global Alliance for Rabies Control.  

Trevor,who is an experienced yachtsman and Club Captain of the Civil Service OffshoreRacing Club, is competing in the famous “TwoStar” - the two-handed transatlanticyacht race - first won by Chay Blyth and one of the most challenging races inthe world, in which yachts, powered only by the wind and manned by only twocrew, race non-stop from Plymouth to, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. 

“It will be quite a challenge” says Trevor. “The prevailing winds are against you for most of the race, and, to sail the shortest distance, you have to go quite a way north, along the “great circle” route, so it will be cold – and icebergs are a risk, even at that time of year.  Then there is the sleep deprivation that always hits you after a while, when sailing short-handed”.  Trevor and his team-mate Richard Palmer are sailing on “Jangada Too”, a J109 and one of the smallest boats in the race.  Trevor and Richard previously completed a two-handed race around the British Isles in 2010, also in Jangada Too, coming 5th.  They will take about three weeks to complete the course.

You can support Trevor's effort at http://www.justgiving.com/Trevor-Drew0

Trevor,who is an Offshore Yacht master Instructor, will also use the race to qualify for his Ocean Yacht master qualification – the highest offered by the Royal Yachting Association.  “I’ve been brushing up on how to use a sextant and my spherical trigonometry, but we’ll also be using the more modern GPS, so won’t be entirely reliant on my maths!”says Trevor.

You can read more about the race and follow their progress at http://twostar.rwyc.org, the boat website at http://www.jangada.co.uk/ and their blog at http://jangada-too.blogspot.co.uk/