4th May, 2001

GUERNSEY PAIR TAKE UP CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME- Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey to launch UniS Voyager

It is a little known fact that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have rowed the Atlantic! It is no wonder then that University of Surrey graduate, István Hajdu, and Simon Walpole decided to take up the challenge of a lifetime and become one of a group of ordinary people given the opportunity to experience a quite extraordinary adventure, and enter the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge 2001, the world's toughest rowing race.

His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Foley KCB, OBE, MC will be officially launching their boat, UniS Voyager, on Saturday 12 May at 11.30 am at The Pool, St Peter Port Harbour, Guernsey, where both István and Simon live. The launch ceremony will be attended by the sponsors and their guests, local media, the boat builder, equipment suppliers and fitness trainers, the other Channel Island entrants in this years race, the Channel Island rowers who took part in the 1997 race as well as family, friends and well wishers. The University of Surrey is the main sponsor of UniS Voyager and is delighted that the Lieutenant Governor will be present at this special event for Simon, István and their supporters. There will be a reception at the Guernsey Yacht Club for invited guests following the launch.

UniS Voyager has been built on the island by Mike Le Tissier, a local man, who built the boat used by another Guernsey crew that competed in the Atlantic Challenge in 1997. The finishing touches have now all been completed and the boat had its first sea test on Saturday 28 April. All went well and the boat and crew were pleased with how the boat handled. However, being unladen she rolled with every wave which caused István to christen her with a mild attack of sea sickness!

Simon and István are on a gruelling training regime until the start of the race in Los Gigantes, Tenerife on Sunday 7 October when they will join over 40 other identical boats in the epic challenge of rowing to Barbados. It is estimated that the average time to complete the race will be about 60 days but the winners of the 1997 race Phil Stubbs and Rob Hamill from New Zealand set the amazing record of 41 days.

Dr Norman Kirkby of the University of Surrey is overseeing their training programme and the two men are swimming and jogging and have been spending many hours on rowing machines in preparation for the mammoth task they are to undertake. Now the boat is finally complete and on the sea they are planning to spend as much time training in UniS Voyager as possible.

Simon and István have set up their own website at www.atlantic2001.com following progress in the build up to the race and giving other interesting information, facts and figures. They will be attending the official launch of the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge on Saturday 2 June at St Katharine's Dock in London and more details of this event are available from Katie Perry in the Press Office at the University of Surrey.

The sponsors of UniS Voyager are: Main Sponsor - The University of Surrey; Gold Sponsor - B&W Deloitte; Silver Sponsors - Insurance Corporation of the Channel Islands and Bacon and Woodrow Channel Islands; Bronze Sponsors - Surrey Research Park, Energy Services International and The Heath Lambert Group; Other Sponsors and Supporters - Z Industries, The Fitness factory, Mike Le Tissier, Dowding Signs, Stainless Steel fabrications.

Everyone is welcome to attend this event. This is your chance to come and meet Simon and István, have a look at their boat and find out what has motivated them to take up such a challenge.

For more information contact: Simon Walpole or István Hajdu on Tel. 01481 714145 or by email on simon@atlantic2001.com or istvan@atlantic2001.com

Media Enquiries:
Katie Perry or Liz Morgan-Lewis in the University's press office, tel. 01275 842892 or 01483 873932.
Email: temp67@surrey.ac.uk or l.morgan-lewis@surrey.ac.uk

Notes for Editors

1. The University of Surrey is a forward looking professional, scientific and technological university with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and learning.
2. The Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge 2001 is organised by Challenge Business International Ltd. It is an organisation that creates, promotes and manages events, which allow the ordinary person to experience the extraordinary. The company was established in 1989 by Sir Chay Blyth CBE BEM.
3. The Yorkshire-based Ward Evans Group plc was formed in 1992 by Michael Kenney, Richard Evans and Martin ward, to conduct general commercial insurance broking. It now has a turnover of £18 million, with an average annual growth in turnover of 274%. The company employ over 120 staff with offices in London, York, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow.
4. The offshore practice of Bacon & Woodrow, established in 1979 to provide services to Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and international clients, is the largest firm of actuaries and consultants in the Channel Islands with six resident partners and around 50 managerial and support staff encompassing a wide range of disciplines.
5. B&W Deloitte is the only major actuarial consulting firm that is absolutely focused on the insurance industry. B&W Deloitte combines the experience and technical skills of Bacon & Woodrow's insurance practice with the global market knowledge and resources of Deloitte & Touche. B&W Deloitte broadens Deloitte's range of services to the financial services sector whilst the distinct positioning ensures that it retains its identity and focus.
6. Insurance Corporation of the Channel Islands is an autonomous subsidiary of Royal & Sun Alliance plc, operating out of its headquarters in Guernsey and its Jersey branch. As the Channel Islands' leading general insurer with a market share in excess of 30 per cent the company is valued at £40 million. Insurance Corporation covers household, motor and marine risks, as well as government interests, factories, shops, offices and a multiplicity of other local, national and international insurances. The company has 45 employees and has been operating in the islands since it was established in 1982.
7. Heath Lambert Group is the World's sixth largest Insurance Broking and Risk Management Organisations and employs 4000 staff worldwide. The Group has one of the longest established Captive Managers in Guernsey, having formed it's first Captive in 1979. The Group's local Insurance Broking Company has known Simon Walpole and his family for many years and wishes him and his colleague good luck for the crossing.
8. The Surrey Research Park, Guildford has been developed by the University of Surrey to accommodate companies engaged in research, development and design. There are significant clusters of companies engaged in Information Communications Technology, computer games, biotechnology and, particularly, biopharmacy. The 110 tenants range from individual entrepreneurs to a 30,000 sq. ft. purpose-built R&D facility. A third are from overseas, including the USA, Europe, Scandinavia and Japan.
9. Energy Services International (e-si) is dedicated to providing heating and power solutions for the domestic, marine and small commercial markets. Our aim is to become Europe's leading energy consultants and supplier of solutions for these markets. Paul Fletcher the managing director and energy consultant custom designed the power system for UniS Voyager according to the rigourous needs of the Atlantic Challenge. The priority was to maximise power on board with lowest weight to ensure important equipment like the water maker runs day in day out