Sean McGuigan and Andrew Warner are planning to row 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua to raise cash for local charities The Alzheimer’s Society and St Clare’s Hospice.

But upon making final inspections Mr. McGuigan noticed that his EPIRB beacon had been stolen.  The beacon is an important safety device for the ocean crossing and would allow rescue services to locate the boat and crew should an emergency occur at sea.

Mr. McGuigan contacted the manufacturer, Jotron UK Ltd, to see if someone had tried to register the unit.

When Neil Atkinson at Jotron learned about the situation he made an immediate offer to replace the item with a brand new unit.

Mr. McGuigan said: “It’s amazing of Jotron to step up like this and give us a brand new EPIRB. If it hadn’t been for this then our whole campaign could have been in danger.

“Neil has not only supplied the kit but rushed it through the registration process to ensure that our boat is covered. I can’t thank everybody at Jotron enough.”

The team will compete under the name Thrift Energy Atlantic Challenge.

The pair expect their crossing to take up to 60 days during which time they will be taking shifts and rowing between them for 24 hours a day.

To make a donation visit: www.NorthEastAtlanticChallenge.Co.Uk or www.gofundme.com/AtlanticChallenge

Source: www.chroniclelive.co.uk