Two men in a boat to cross Atlantic Ocean with 240 protein bars
CNP Professional sponsors Hoyland and Coe on their Atlantic rowing challenge
Richard Hoyland, 40, and Steve Coe, 48, are taking on the endurance test of a lifetime when they set off to row across the Atlantic on December 6th 2009 in the Woodvale Challenge Rowing Race. The race follows the Columbus route across the mid-Atlantic – 2,935 miles from San Sebastian in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies.
In their two-man 23-foot ocean rowing boat “No Fear” they have to carry all the equipment, food and water they need for the race. Even with solar powered desalination units on board, jet boil cooking systems and satellite navigation, it’s all about survival once they are out there battling against the Atlantic currents and unpredictable weather.
“We should be out there for between 50 to 60 days,” says Richard Hoyland. “But we have to take enough provisions to keep us going for 90 days in case we get blown off course. We know it’s going to be harsh out there.”
Nutrition is all-important to staying strong and fit enough to finish this kind of race. It’s a gruelling epic that pushes the body and mind to its limits. For the whole journey the pair will be on a strict two hour on two hour off rota – a moment of loss of concentration could spell disaster. That doesn’t leave them long to eat and sleep.
With very limited storage space and a need to keep weight to a minimum they have had to think very carefully about what to take. Food is important but so is all their other survival gear. And with the prospect of being surrounded by huge walls of water everything has to be watertight, easy to prepare and preferably taste good to cheer them up when the going gets tough.
“We’ve got a lot of high calorie dehydrated food,” explains Richard. “But we also wanted something that could be eaten without preparation and that had a high protein to weight ratio for storage purposes. We need to make sure we get plenty of protein, as it is essential to keep the human body fit and healthy. We decided on protein bars but some we tried really weren’t very nice at all. The best ones by far were CNP Professional’s Pro Bar XS.”
Working on a ration of two bars per day each, they calculated that they needed 240 bars for the trip. Each Pro Bar XS measures only 105mm x 38mm x 16mm and is individually packaged in a watertight wrapper. Containing 30gm of CNPs high quality ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ time release protein matrix, they are easy to digest and especially nutritious. There are four flavours as well so Richard and Steve shouldn’t get too bored with their rations.
“Once Richard and Steve approached us we were happy to sponsor them,” says Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP. “I am in awe of what they are going to do. More people have climbed Everest than have rowed the Atlantic!”
Preparations for the trip started in 2008. Steve was already an experienced rower but Richard had to start from scratch and take lessons. He was already used to endurance events, though, having competed in marathons and triathlons. Both have been putting on weight prior to setting out as they anticipate losing around two stone each on the journey.
“It’s been a steep learning curve and a major commitment. It required some serious fundraising and sponsorship,” says Richard. “It’s cost about £60,000 to £70,000 just to get to the start point, but now we’re all set and hope to raise at least £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation and the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher.”
To sponsor Richard and Steve visit their website www.rowacrossthepond.co.uk
CNP Professional is one of the UK’s leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk or call +44 (0) 161 320 1212 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 320 8145 for sales.
Copy ends
Notes for editors
CNP Professional is a leading supplier of sports nutrition supplements including protein shakes, protein bars, creatine supplements, meal replacements, mass gainers, weight loss supplements and post work out shakes, all designed for the ultimate in sports nutrition.
Kerry Kayes, the founder of CNP Professional, is a former national bodybuilding champion. He has been involved in sports nutrition for many years and his dietary expertise has established him as ‘the man in the know’ to a wide variety of sportspeople worldwide such as the Ericsson Round the World Yacht Team, boxer Ricky Hatton, darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, international strongman Glen Ross and Sean Long of Hull FC.
CNP Professional supplements are carefully formulated to ensure that the body is able to make best use of the nutrients. Unlike many nutritional supplements, CNP Professional’s products are easy to drink.
There are several articles explaining protein nutrition supplements on the CNP website – go to the home page and click on ‘nutrition’ under the articles section.
Additional Information product information:
Flavours: chocolate chewy crisp, berry chewy crisp, caramel chewy crisp and peanut chewy crisp.
Box contains: 12 x 70gm bar
Servings per container: 12 x 70gm bar
Serving size: 70gm bar
Nutritional information per 70gm Pro Bar XS (based on chocolate flavour)
Calories 238
Protein 30gm
Carbohydrate 18.2gm
of which sugars 1.3gm
Polyols 14gm
Fat 4.5gm
Of which saturates 3.5gm
Fibre 8.4gm
Sodium 0.15gm