The UK's foremost disabled sailor, Geoff Holt, will be supported with technical marine products for both Geoff and his qualified care assistant Susana Scott, for the trans-Atlantic voyage that is expected to take approximately a month, from the Canaries to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, by Henri Lloyd.
British specialist clothing brand Henri Lloyd have been a long and loyal supporter of Geoff (left) have dressed him since 1992, when he became the first disabled person to sail single-handed around the Isle of Wight, and then again in 2007, when Geoff completed his first Personal Everest, by sailing single-handed around Great Britain. They continue that sponsorship for his next personal challenge in December.
“Geoff Holt is a brave adventurer who loves to tackle projects that no one else will, therefore it is natural for us to continue our support of him for his next personal challenge. We wish him every success”, said Paul Strzelecki, Henri Lloyd Joint Chief Executive.
In December 2009, Geoff Holt will return to the scene of the accident that paralysed him 25 years ago. This will be an emotional voyage as he is able to return to the Caribbean as a yachtsman – something he could not have imagined after he had his accident. He will sail Impossible Dream, a 60ft, purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible catamaran. The 2,700 mile journey will take him across some of the most hostile waters in the world.In completing his challenge, Geoff will become the first quadriplegic to make the journey, unassisted in every aspect of the sailing
Geoff is going to encounter some extremely high temperatures and some rough conditions and therefore the Henri Lloyd technical clothing must be versatile enough to kept him comfortable, whilst providing him the fundamentally protection from the conditions that he will encounter throughout the voyage.
One of the most important pieces of kit will be Geoff’s Fast Dri Atmosphere T, the Henri Lloyd Fast Dri range was designed for warm weather sailing and its main features are that it is highly breathable and extremely high wicking, which in turn spreads perspiration, moisture and water spray across the surface area to speed up the drying time of the garment, which will keep Geoff comfortable for longer. The Atmosphere T also benefits from UV protection to help prevent sunburn, which is vitally important for Geoff, who will be exposed the sun’s harmful rays throughout the voyage.
For additional protection against spray, wind and for additional warmth during the night sails, Geoff will be wearing the award winning Henri Lloyd 2G Shadow jacket and hi-fits. The Shadow range has been constructed from Henri Lloyd’s 2.5 layer TP2 Alpha fabric, which has been designed to offer excellent breathability whilst also offering the protection of an outer shell.
Geoff hopes that his journey will raise awareness of the accomplishments of other disabled sportsmen and women and inspire others to push their own personal boundaries
“I’m obviously delighted that once again I will be wearing Henri Lloyd clothing for this voyage. It’s now 17 years since I first wore a breathable HL drysuit to sail around the Isle of Wight and, as my various sailing challenges have evolved in both manner and complexity over the years, so too has the development of new clothing technologies to suit my requirements. Specifically on this voyage are the hot sunny days and cool, damp nights. Unable to shiver when cold or sweat when hot because of my disability, it is important that I am correctly dressed so I’m looking forward to putting my new Fast Dri gear through it’s paces during the day and the lightweight 2G Shadow jacket and salopettes which will provide warmth and protection at night or should the weather be unkind.” says Geoff.
