West Palm Beach, FL – March 8, 2016
The Yorkshire Rows crew lauds Glidecoat technology after completing their record making Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge trek.
On February 26, 2016, Janette Benaddi, Helen Butters, Niki Doeg and Frances Davies stepped off of their Rannoch 45 vessel in English Harbour, Antigua and into the record books as the oldest all female team to row any ocean—graciously taking Glidecoat’s technology along for the 3,000 nautical mile journey.
“We were meant to clean (the bottom of the vessel) every two weeks. I think because of the Glidecoat that probably kept us going longer, because we didn’t have the opportunity to clean it. And the salt buildup, we just didn’t have that in the boat. Glidecoat was unbelievable,” Butters said.
The company, which provides Nano-coating for aviation and marine vessels, applied its cutting-edge Smart Surface Technology (SST) Nano-composite to the vessel, dubbed “the Rose”, in England. The Challenge commenced in San Sebastian in La Gomera.
After sixty-seven days, a three-day storm and countless 30-foot swells, the Rose arrived in English Harbour barnacle-free, residue-free and scratch-free. Delivering on Glidecoat’s promise as a sponsor for the Yorkshire moms.
“The ability to coat a rowboat that is traversing the Atlantic is in itself cool. We recognized that it would help Yorkshire Rows out and minimize the number of marine organisms and barnacles that were on the boat,” Glidecoat managing director, Paul Westhorpe, said.
The company was unable to coat the entire vessel, as it was hitched to a trailer. This unforeseen hiccup that left eight linear feet of the Rose untreated turned out to be quite fortuitous—allowing marine specialists to analyze both treated an untreated sections of the boat simultaneously.
“We were able to test our product in one of the most extreme environments during the most extreme boating challenge and the treatment fared very well. The examination found the Nano-protected areas were shielded from the elements,” the managing director revealed.
He noted Glidecoat does not intend to “rest on its laurels”, but will continue to improve and perfect its innovative technology.
Westhorpe, however, preferred to focus on the brave women of Yorkshire Rows.
“Although we are pleased with the performance of Glidecoat, we are even more impressed with the performance of the women of Yorkshire Rows. What they have accomplished is amazing. They are an inspiration and we are honored to be a part of their success,” Westhorpe said.