No Great Shakes
No Great Shakes
Billy, 45, is a fire fighter and lives in Bracklesham Bay on the South Coast.
Billy sailed from Australia to England aged 17, delivered yachts all over the Mediterranean for many years and has sailed across the Indian Ocean twice. He has rowed across the Pacific Ocean with Barry Hayes and two other crew members and achieved two world records. He has run ultra-marathons and was also a consultant for a record-breaking ocean row across the Black Sea.
In his spare time, Billy likes nothing more than romantic walks on windswept moors, needlepoint and curling up with a good Julie Cooper novel.
Barry Hayes
El Barrio
Barry, 37, is a motivational speaker and lives in North Wales with his fiancé Emma and stepson Jack.
Barry summited Kilimanjaro when he was 16, has completed marathons and ultra-marathons, trained for an Antarctic Challenge and more recently undertook an overland trip with Billy from the UK to Asia.
Barry and Billy first met when they rowed the Pacific Ocean in 2014. This experience led him to become a motivational speaker and inspired him to start writing his first book.
If Barry happens upon a house spider his first port of call for dealing with that emergency is the army, followed by total evacuation of the planet. He also doesn’t like beetroot, but not to the same extent.
James Plumley
The Wanderluster
James, 28, is an adventurer and business owner from Guernsey.
He has competed in six world coastal rowing championships. In 2013, he took part in the GB Row race, rowing non-stop around the UK coastline. His crew broke the world speed record – a title that he still holds today.
In 2014, he cycled two thousand miles from the UK to Serbia to raise awareness of flooding in the Balkans.
Robin Buttery
Parkie Power
Robin, 46, lives in Leicester with his wife Nicola and son Rory. He is a Technical Instructor at De Montfort University, Leicester.
Robin was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease in June 2015 just before his 44th birthday. Rowing the Indian Ocean is so different to the lifestyle that Robin leads, he is not an adventurer or explorer, but he feels that an experience like this provides a unique opportunity to show others that life doesn’t have to stop with a diagnosis.
Working with Oxford Brookes University Robin hopes the research undertaken will prove to be invaluable for moving the treatment of Parkinson’s disease forward.
Professor Greg Whyte
Top Trainer
Former Olympian and renowned sports scientist, Professor Greg Whyte has been working closely with the crew in helping them prepare for the row across the Indian Ocean.
They are all following a rigorous diet and exercise regime that will ensure they’re in the best shape both mentally and physically to take on this huge challenge.
“The boys have worked incredibly hard for this row – they’re driven and tenacious, which is crucial when undertaking a challenge of this enormity. They will be pushing their bodies to the absolute limit and the pressure on them to succeed will be immense. This is where their mental strength will be vital in overcoming any doubts or fears during the challenge. Having worked with Billy on his 2014 row across the Pacific, and with the pedigree that the crew already possess in the sport of Ocean rowing, I believe that they’re more than ready and I have no doubt they will succeed.”