CALGARY, AB--(Marketwired - May 27, 2016) - Laval St. Germain is about to embark on a journey that will not only test his physical endurance, but his mental strength as well. Using only muscle and will, St. Germain will attempt a 4500 km solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving Halifax mid-June and arriving in France 90 to 100 days later. Interestingly, this is similar to the route St. Germain's ancestors took some 370 years ago, only in reverse and they were under sail.
A generous team of sponsors and specialists has come together to support St. Germain in his adventure. An old proverb states: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." St.Germain's team will help him go far in the #ConfrontCancerOceanRow.
With reinforcement from Catch Engineering, a team of professional electrical engineers will be available to troubleshoot and help, remotely, with any electrical or technological challenges that St. Germain may encounter. Before the epic row, Catch Engineering will have the opportunity to identify possible areas that could result in critical electrical failure. St. Germain will rely on equipment such as solar panels, battery chargers, an autopilot and all associated wiring, all of which will be subject to extremely harsh conditions. Smith says, "Some of the electrical equipment on board is imperative to navigation. We're confident in our team of electrical engineers who will be available during his trip to make sure he stays on track."
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. is providing support for St. Germain's satellite phone, GPS, satellite wifi, live tracking and data so that his team of Flight Dispatchers -- now volunteer Ocean Row Dispatchers -- can monitor his progress across the Atlantic. As a leading provider of technology to the aerospace industry, FLYHT understands the importance of being connected in remote regions for support, weather updates and communications. "FLYHT's technology provides flight tracking, satellite communication and advanced health monitoring for Canadian North aircraft that Laval has flown in remote regions of Canada for many years," said Matieu Plamondon, VP of Operations and Customer Fulfillment at FLYHT. "He requires similar functionality to track his progress across the Atlantic. We support his adventurous spirit and applaud his philanthropy in raising funds for cancer, which has affected us all."
To make sure St. Germain stays healthy physically and mentally, Healng will keep a real time close eye on his health. Dr. Donovan Kreutzer, Director and medical lead with Healng, says, "What's really important in long-term survival is the psychological course. We have psychologists who specialize in sports and endurance physiology and the psychology behind that." Healng will be keeping daily track of St. Germain as far as psychological support and injuries. Dr. Kreutzer says, "We've put together a specialized medical kit with an EpiPen® with antibiotics, anti-emetics, antidiarrheal, rehydration and access to intravenous fluids -- in case of an emergency. This emergency kit will help if Laval fractures an arm, leg or more likely a rib. Fracturing a rib is more likely because when you're rowing the oars can catch a wave and suddenly jam the oar handle into the torso -- if you've broken a rib it makes it extremely difficult to row." Dr. Kreutzer goes on to say, "It's always been fascinating to me to watch people who go above and beyond. People like Laval motivate a lot of people -- including myself. And to have the funds go directly to clinical trials is remarkable. Every day we're a step closer to curing cancer -- with funds going directly to research, that's where the money is needed."
Other sponsors who have stepped up to help through funds or equipment are; TrueBlue Ultimate Eye Protection, Fratello Coffee,
Momentum Watch, Helly Hansen, K-Tor Human Energy, Battistella Developments, ROW 17 and The Marketing Girl.
About Laval St. Germain
St. Germain is a Calgary-based adventurer and outdoor athlete. In the real world he's a husband, father and Boeing 737 captain for Canadian North Airlines. He's also the only Canadian to have climbed Mt. Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen. He has climbed and skied off Iraq's highest peak, cycled from the Arctic Ocean to Yukon in winter and -- among other adventures -- has climbed the highest mountain on six of the world's seven continents.
St. Germain will set out on the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax starting in June in a custom-built ocean rowing boat, affectionately known as TrueBlue -- the R10, which is constructed by Rannoch Adventure of the UK. The R10 is the result of years of experience and exhaustive research by the team at Rannoch. These solo boats are self-righting -- meaning the boat can roll inverted and right itself. St. Germain's living quarters will be the size of a very small tent. He will be packing 100 plus days' worth of dried food and a fishing spear. The safety features include an aviation grade life raft, immersion suit, EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), VHF radio and radar reflector. Additionally, he will have a full suite of satellite communications and live tracking equipment -- including voice, email and the ability to upload photos -- all powered by solar panels.
Visit www.lavalstgermain.com and go to https://albertacancer.ca/confrontcanceroceanrow to donate to Confront Cancer Ocean Row. Catch Engineering www.catchengineering.com, FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. www.flyht.com, Healng www.healng.com.
Contact Information:
For media inquiries please contact Christina Rowsell, Media Relations Director, to book an interview.
Christina Rowsell
#ConfrontCancerOceanRow
www.lavalstgermain.com
Christina@christinarowsell.com
403-703-5572