A civil engineer will take on the challenge of a lifetime as he attempts to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
David Ravenscroft will spend a month on board a 72ft yacht racing against 200 other boats at the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers event, during October.
Sailing from Las Palmas in Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay on Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, David is hoping his trip will raise £5,000 for a Flintshire Foodbank saying he “doesn’t believe anyone should go hungry”.
The 27-year-old will embark on the adventure along with 17 others from the Tallships Youth Trust.
He said: “I’ve been sailing for 17 years now so I don’t really feel nervous.
“I’m really looking forward to it and think it will be a great time. The biggest sailing race I have participated in previously was the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race and I wanted to go one step ahead and sail a full ocean crossing.”
David, who grew up in Sychdyn , near Mold, but now lives in Saughall, Chester, says he decided to raise cash for Flintshire Foodbank, after hearing it is one of the most-used in the country.
The foodbank, which has its distribution centre in Mold, currently helps more than 6,000 people a year.
Hungry
David, speaking to the Daily Post, said: “I don’t believe we should have any poverty in the UK seeing as we are such a rich country and I don’t believe anyone should go hungry. I grew up in Flintshire and it’s really dear to me so it really shocked me to hear it is the second most used foodbank in Wales.
“It seems like the Foodbank targets people that work hard but can’t scrape the breadline. Being so fortunate myself growing up I feel blessed really as there was always food to eat.
“Just having a look at some of the testimonials online of people who have used the foodbank in Flintshire somewhere I grew up, I had blinkers on and did not realise so many people needed help.”
In his training for the epic voyage David has been warned not to swim in the water in case of shark attacks, while he has also been told ginger biscuits will ward off sea sickness.
He’ll also have no access to a phone to speak to friends and family but plans to blog daily via an onboard satellite system.
Donations
Flintshire Foodbank project manager Sue Leake says any cash raised will be used to make sure needy people in the county have food on the table at Christmas.
She said: “It is fantastic that David is willing to take on this voyage, not just for himself but to raise funds for something that is obviously important to him and to us and the Flintshire community.
“We are always in need of things, any donation. We are in need of money as we have to pay our own way. We pay rent on our buildings and utilities, we are always grateful for anything that anybody wants to give.”
To sponsor him visit his crowd funding page .
