Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson – Expedition leader and founder

Originally from Taranaki, New Zealand, now living in Singapore for 20 years, Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson is a mountaineer and human powered explorer, author and inspiring keynote speaker.  Grant’s preferred expedition styles are lightweight, human-powered journeys with as little support as practically possible, through remote and unforgiving environments.  A talented athlete, Grant was a representative rugby player in New Zealand and also played for the Singapore national rugby team for three years, representing them at two Hong Kong Seven’s Tournaments. With 16 years mountaineering experience and 50 peaks under his belt, Grant has climbed on 5 continents and has scaled the North Ridge of Mt Everest. Having completed numerous human-powered traverses around the world – ROWING from HOME to HOME is Grants vision.

 

Dave Field – Expedition Project Manager

Dave is originally from Taranaki, New Zealand, now based in the North of New Zealand.  Dave works as a project manager in the offshore surveying industry. Having served 12 years as an Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy and countless days on the sea as a hydrographic surveyor, Dave knows that no two days on a project involving the ocean are ever the same. Dave’s background and experience in managing projects, logistics and HSE make him an ideal Project Manager for Rowing Home.  Dave is currently taking on his own challenge of making one run, every single day.  As of November 2015 he has completed over 650 consecutive days of runs. You can read more about Dave’s inspiring journey here.

 

Monique Dickerson – Public Relations Manager

Monique was born and raised initially in Singapore before spending many years in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Monique has an end to end connection to the Rowing from Home to Home expedition!

Since graduating from university she has returned to Singapore and currently works as a Projects Coordinator for a multi-national company servicing the insurance industry. Monique has actively followed Axe’s previous adventures from Mt Everest, to his human powered journeys and has become eager to get personally involved with the latest exhilarating challenge. With a marketing background and keen interest to support the crew, she will head up the Public Relations element of the expedition, ensuring that every step of the Rowing from Home to Home journey is shared with sponsors, family, friends and supporters.

Alistair Harding – Film Producer

A New Zealander based in Singapore, Alistair is a former journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Associated Press as well as being a film-maker with credits for National Geographic, Channel News Asia and History Channel. He splits his time directing web content for corporate clients, running Mieru (his own branding agency) and making documentary films for Henna Gaijin (his video content channel). Alistair’s involvement in the Expedition is focussed on producing sponsor content on a bi-weekly basis with a view to producing a full-length documentary at the end of the Expedition.

Daniel Lund – Expedition physical training consultant/Backup rower and cyclist

Daniel is a police officer from Sweden now based in Singapore where he is a coach at Crossfit Bukit Timah and trainer at Ufit. Before joining the police force he worked as a PE teacher and physical training instructor in the Swedish armed forces for six years preparing soldiers for Afghanistan. His experience from both the armed forces and as a police officer has learned him how to prepare for tasks both mentally and physically where failure is not an option.  Daniel has a love for adventure and has competed in several long adventure races and triathlons. In 2003 he lived in New Zealand and studied Adventure tourism in Nelson. During that year the rivers and mountains of the south island was his playground. Daniel has extensive knowledge and experience in strength and conditioning and will help the expedition members to be physically prepared for the enormous task ahead.

Gary Moller –Functional Nutrition Consultant

Gary has always been an accomplished athlete, with a competitive career beginning at 14 years of age. He is the older brother of Lorraine Moller, four times Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist, Founder and Director of the Lydiard Coaching Foundation. Sports that he has done well in, or is still contesting are running, multi-sport, road cycling, mountain biking and river kayaking. Teaming up with his two brothers, Gordon and Bruce, their team they have proven tough competitors in multisports racing.  In 2011 they became the Australasian veterans multisports team champions, finishing 4th overall in the open grade.  You may check Gary’s current national age group ranking for mountain bike racing here.  Gary qualifications include: DipPhEd, PGDipRehab, PGDipSportMed (Otago).   Gary is registered with Inter Clinical Laboratories Pty Ltd, as a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and Nutritional Medicine Consultant. Gary is highly regarded among his peers for his expertise with using the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis technique to help identify the root causes of ill health in sedentary and active people, including elite athletes.  Gary is supporting the Rowing from Home to Home team with detailed nutritional advice and support to ensure they can prepare, perform and recover from the grueling expedition as healthily as possible.  Check out Gary’s professional website at:  www.garymoller.com

Charlie Smith – Expedition rower – Singapore to Darwin leg

Charlie is an investment banker, based in Singapore but originally from the UK.  An adventurous chap, Charlie loves mountains and spent his time climbing when he was based in the UK.  Since moving to Singapore, Charlie has turned his attention to the sea.  Charlie joined Axe for the first stage of the expedition – rowing from Singapore to Darwin, Australia.

Shane Davidson – Website tracking designer

Shane is an IT expert and developer of the popular online tracking application MAProgress (formerly FOLLOWMYSPOT) which updates and plots the Expedition’s progress in real time on an interactive map. Shane is an active adventurer himself. He will be developing customised software for Rowing Home, allowing audiences to follow the boats progress in realtime, including photographs and blog updates linked interactively to the online map.

Muhtar Latif – Expedition Electronics Specialist

Born and bred in Indonesia, Latif is an electronics engineer now based in Singapore.  A proud husband and father at home, Latif’s working life has him installing and supporting high-end marine electronics systems on vessels all over the world.  Not only does Latif have the ability to install and repair any electronics package that can be repaired, but he possesses the unique ability to communicate, train and problem solve issues over the phone in often very stressful situations. Latif will be involved installing and maintaining the vessel electronics package before departure for the Rowing Home expedition, and very importantly training the crew to problem solve and support issues while underway.  Latif will also be the ‘goto’ man onshore in the event of problems with electronics while at sea.

Rannoch Adventures – Boat Builders

Our beautiful rowing boat is built by the team from Rannoch Adventures in the UK.  Headed by Ocean Rower Charlie Pitcher who holds the record for the fastest solo crossing of the Atlantic, Rannoch has built our state of the art, light-weight and super fast vessel in their HQ and Burnham-on-Crouch in the UK.

 Stephanie Rawlinson – Basecamp manager

“Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife.”

Franz Schubert

We cannot take on any huge projects without having a solid foundation to work from.  Axe’s wife Stephanie, has been involved from day one with ROWING HOME.  From the conception of the vision, to the birth of the expedition she has offered support, independent advice and most importantly a positive home environment from which her barking mad husband can work at making turning this expedition into reality.  Stephanie is a proud Singaporean and works as a planner/buyer for Coca Cola.

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SUPPORTERS

An important part of any expedition is background research.  Finding and discussing with people who have had similar experiences and are willing to share.  We have approached many people and asked hundreds of questions for the ROWING HOME expedition. Some of these people have been super helpful with sharing information, ideas and support. We acknowledge (in no particular order) here those people who have been so generous to our expedition whilst expecting nothing in return:

Rob Hamill – Expedition backup rower

Marathon rowing champion Rob Hamill’s numerous achievements include World Champs silver, Commonwealth gold and a world record on the indoor rowing machine. Rob represented New Zealand at the Atlanta Olympics and published ‘The Naked Rower’ on how he and Phil Stubbs captured headlines around the world winning the gruelling and inaugural Atlantic Rowing Race in 41 days. He is an event promoter (www.TheGreatRace.co.nz; http://www.Waikato100.kiwi; http://www.4Caps.kiwi), film producer (www.brothernumberone.co.nz) and, like Grant, is a speaker, author, Dad, adventurer !

 Colin Quincey

Colin Quincey is an England-born New Zealander.  In 1977 he made the first successful human-powered trans-Tasman crossing. In 63 days and 7 hours he rowed his Yorkshire Dory row-boat from Hokianga, New Zealand to Marcus Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.  Colin has been a hugely positive role model for the Rowing from Home to Home team.  With nuggets of wisdom, won through hard work and experience, and inspiring messages of support, we look forward to meeting Colin when we land in NZ.

Jingi Tan – Photographer

A professional architect by training, Jingyi is a self-taught photographer who first stumbled into outdoor / landscape  photography in 2005 whilst on a multi day hiking trip. In 2013, he held his debut exhibition raising over $80,000 for cancer research. Continuing his love affair with the great outdoors – in 2014, he completed a 4 month trek across the length of New Zealand. Based in Singapore Jingyi has used his photographic talents to capture stunning imagery during the pre-expedition phase. You can see more of  Jing Yi’s amazing work at his website:  http://jyphotographs.com/.

Nigel Cherrie

Nigel was the leader of the four man Team Gallagher – whom completed a successful row across the Tasman in 2012, taking 55 days from the Sydney harbor bridge to the Auckland Harbor bridge.  A kiwi based in Auckland, Nigel has been very helpful offering ROWING HOME much advice and shared experiences on the Tasman section of our journey.

Jason Lewis

Jason Lewis is an award-winning author, adventurer and sustainability campaigner specializing in human-powered expeditions. He is recognized by Guinness World Records as the first person to circumnavigate the Earth without using motors or sails: walking, cycling, and inline skating five continents, and kayaking, swimming, rowing, and pedalling a boat across the rivers, seas, and oceans. Taking thirteen years to complete, the 46,505-mile journey was hailed “the last great first for circumnavigation” by the London Sunday Times.  Jason has been supportive sharing advice and knowledge of human-powered crossing of the Timor Sea from Darwin to Indonesia, a journey he made in a pedal boat. You can read more about Jason’s remarkable stories through his website link here.  I also highly recommend his three books written about this around the world odyssey.

Ian Rowe

Ian is an Ocean Rower (well with a name like that what else would he be?).  Ian survived a capsize in January 2012 whilst attempting to row the Atlantic and was rescued.  Ian is based in the UK and I first met him whilst I was planning a crossing of the English Channel by human power on Peak to Peak 2014.  Ian is one of the most positive, enthusiastic, supportive and passionate people I have ever met.  He took me for my first ever trial voyage on an Ocean Rowing boat in the mighty Lake Rutland, England in January 2015.  Ian runs the Atlantic Experience, an organisation delivering inspiring speaking, team building and experiential learning services out of the UK, using his very own ocean rowing boat which he has lovingly restored and re-built.  Ian has been a huge inspiration to the Rowing Home team offering all sorts of helpful advice, but mainly inspiring self-belief through living his life motto of ‘ordinary people achieving extraordinary things’.

 Sandy Robson

Sandy Robson is a sea kayaker from Western Australia.  In 2011, Sandy began a multi-year expedition retracing the 1930’s journey of Oskar Speck.  Oscar was a German chap who took 7 years to travel from Germany to Australia by sea kayak.  Sandy came through Singapore on her journey in 2015, during which time Grant hosted her, and also has been supporting her on her way down from Bangladesh and into Indonesia.  Sandy’s remarkable journey can be followed through her website or facebook page. Whilst the ROWING HOME expedition will generally be following a different route and style than Sandy’s, she has given valuable first hand feedback and inspiration, especially on the Indonesian section of the journey, Sandy has this to say about ROWING HOME:

“The ocean is a great teacher…If everyone just once in their life took on such a human powered pilgrimage, our world would be a much better place”

 Marin Medak

Marin is an adventurer, speaker and entrepreneur.  Marin is a passionate kayaker and ocean rower who lead a four man Slovenian-British rowing team across the Atlantic ocean in 2012. He has kayaked the coast of South Korea, the entire coast of Croatia and rowed from Slovenia to Turkey.  Marin says he is afraid of death, doesn’t like stress and he’s not motivated by money. Ideal values for an expedition partner I would say!  He likes to lead teams, enjoys learning new things and challenging himself.  In our remarakable age of digital communication I have never met Marin in person, but through email when I was planning Peak to Peak 2014.  Since that time Marin has been a great sounding board, offering helpful advice on the ROWING HOME preparations.  His knowledge of rowing a one tonne ocean rowing boat close to the coast (where they are not designed to operate) is rare and invaluable.  You can find more about Marin on his website here: http://www.marinmedak.com/