The TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge is organised by Atlantic Campaigns SL, and proudly sponsored by TALISKER Whisky. Atlantic Campaigns SL are expert ocean rowingrace organisers, who work together with the best worldwide advisors in the ocean rowing industry to make TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge the best planned and safest ocean rowing race in the world.

This is a particularly appropriate partnership given TALISKER’s maritime heritage being the only single malt Scotch whisky made by the sea on the shores of the Isle of Skye, withits challenging but adored liquid of 45.8% ABV.

Aside from its maritime associations, TALISKER has long supported great maritime challenges, as well as fantastic charities such as the RNLI in Great Britain. It is in this spirit that the brand is proud to support the TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge:The World’s Toughest Row.

About Us

About The Race

In 1966, Sir Chay Blyth and John Ridgeway performed their legendary open-boat row across the Atlantic Ocean in English Rose III. The trip took 92 days and it laid the foundation for the TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Since 1997 this ocean rowing race has attracted the brave and intrepid to pit themselves against the elements and race the 4800km (2900 miles) from La Gomera, Canary Islands, to English Harbour, Antigua.. More people have been into space than have rowed the Atlantic Ocean, and it is rightly considered to be one of the toughest challenges on the planet.

The biennial race begins in early December, with up to 30 teams participating from around the world. Rowers have to cope with blisters, salt rashes, sleep deprivation and rowing in two-hour shifts around the clock for weeks on end, facing all the raw elements of the Atlantic Ocean. Boats are seven meters long and just under two meters wide, with only a small cabin for protection against storms. All boats are equipped at the race start, and cannot take any repair, help or food and water during the crossing, yet all boats are professionally and reliably built to sustain the full race. The world record to cross the Atlantic is 30 days; the average is 60, and the longest 120, truly making it the world’s toughest row.

Rowing For A Cause

• The teams participating in the TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge raise money for fantastic causes, ranging from charities for health, disease and injury to environment, human rights, and disasters. Below are some examples of teams who rowed to raise awareness and money for a cause.

• Row2Recovery is a group of British servicemen, some serving, some retired. Their campaign shines a spotlight on the extraordinary achievements of people with disabilities, and challenge misconceptions about what life is like for an injured soldier and their family. It also aims to inspire others with life-altering injuries to realise their potential. From these experiences rose a profound desire to not only assist the fallen, but to inspire injured servicemen, and show them that extraordinary things are still possible. In the 2011 race Row2Recovery raised over €1.2M after crossing the Atlantic Ocean to aid injured ex-service men and all funds were split between Help for Heroes, ABF The Soldiers Charity, and SSAFA. In 2013 in they returned their main focus was on building awareness of their cause .

 • Two Boys in A Boat, who rowed in the 2013/ 14 race were the

youngest pair to row the Atlantic. They chose Breast Cancer Care as their charity as they understood that nearly everyone knows someone who has been affected it including close members of their family. They beat their target by 100% raising over £300, 000.

• It is in this spirit that the TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge is raising public awareness in various media channels about the race and the teams’ causes (the 2013/14 race had over 3 billion opportunities to see in various media channels), their compelling stories and motivations to take part of the challenge, as to collect as much money to support each of the causes.

€380k

€1.2m

What Can Be Achieved

Each team participates on their own initiative for their own cause. You could support in realising a team’s participation of the race in which the boat funding is the most expensive part on the team’s shopping list..

Aside from the race entry fees (which vary from €18.500 to €22,500 depending on the number of team members) the approximate costs to put a campaign together is in the region of €70,000 to €100,000 which includes boat, shipping, training, courses, food, flights, accommodation, trailer and all equipment required on board.

A team can be fully or partly funded, with the possibility to have multiple organisations funding and supporting a team. It is possible that a campaign can generate €250,000 in which half of the sum will cover the costs and the other half for your cause.

How we support our rowers’ objectives

Since 2011 TALISKER has been the official sponsor of the race. The role of Talisker is to amplify the race in its entirety using its maritime credentials to connect emotionally with the audience..  

TALISKER wants the audience to feel part of the race by following the challenge of each team: who all have their own reason for racing, story to tell and amazing adventure ahead of them (some can be on the water for up to 90 days). We want a widescale audience to follow their individual journeys and the drama of the race as a whole: the turbulent weather conditions, the trials and tribulations and the sheer joy of completion.  We develop high quality content for press and media capturing the rowers’ stories and challenges as and when they unravel and then distribute them to relevant media channels. 

• Official website (taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com): real-time interactive map on race progress (using embedded GPS), latest blog with news, photos and videos of the race and teams, rolling feed with teams latest updates.

• PR: Press office and campaign activity to drive scale in multiple global channels.

• Social media: Regular Facebook and Twitter updates (linked to official website).

• Film content: Bitesize for You Tube and long form for documentary (digital & TV)

Global Reach 2013/14

1644 individual pieces of international coverage mentioning the TALISKER Whisky Atlantic Challenge rolled up to over 3 billion opportunities to see, generated across TV, radio, print and online.

The race was mentioned in broadcasts by 18 BBC New Online features, 34 broadcast features.

Through digital (you tube and target media) the race was viewed by 800K people.

For the 2013 race we produced a documentary that will reach 20 million views across 42 countries

Endorsement from the establishment, receiving messages from the Houses of Parliament, Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Harry.

Global Reach 2013/14

PR 2013/14

Digital

Social Media

Your benefits for participating

• You can help to generate a substantial amount of money for a cause by sponsoring a team.

• Generate public awareness as well as emotional engagement for your cause or organisation through our PR and Digital activities.

• Branding visibility on the sponsored team’s boat and potential other associated branding vehicles (e.g. team’s clothing) that will be filmed and photographed for PR and Digital coverage of the race.

• Continuous advice and full support on every aspect on ocean rowing for the rowers from Atlantic Campaigns.

How You Can Help.

Fund a boat or team (or partly).

Provide essential goods for rowers (e.g. clothing, electronics, food).

Recruit “PR-able” participants in your country and put together a team.

Contact Atlantic Campaigns by email for more information: info@atlanticcampaigns.com

The Teams 2013/14

Photography by Ben DuffyImages not for commercial use, only for use to promote the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge

The Talisker words & associated logos are Trade Marks. ©2014.