Two Nautilus members under mandatory quarantine used their time waiting to join their next ship by fundraising – completing 200 miles in 10 days – all in just the small space of their hotel bedrooms.
Members Captain Steve Tindale and chief officer Tommy Weir joined another colleague second officer James Pine in the endeavour which has smashed it targets. The seafarers all work for Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO) and were confined to their rooms in Equatorial Guinea on a mandatory quarantine period in May prior to joining their ships.
Rather than being restricted by their environments, however, the three dreamed big and took on the challenge to raise funds, to be split equally, between international maritime welfare charity Sailors' Society, Sailors' Children's Society and children in care charity Become.
Capt Tindale said: 'We were due to do a charity bike ride which was unfortunately cancelled because of the pandemic. We still wanted to do something, so came up with the idea of the run. Certainly, a bit more difficult when you are confined to a hotel bedroom!
'Being seafarers, we wanted to support Sailors' Society and all they do to help crews through their wellness and mental health work. SPO has made Sailors' Society's Wellness at Sea programme available to us all and we've found it really helpful.'
The trio created 'running tracks' by pushing furniture to the edges of their rooms and ran an incredible 5,600 laps each to complete their challenge.
Capt Tindale added: 'It was tough, but the challenge got a little bit easier each day and we changed direction frequently to keep the dizziness down. We've kept each other's spirits up with socially distanced meals between balconies, WhatsApp group chats, and a daily quarantine quiz!'
Melanie Warman, Sailors' Society's Director of Advocacy, said: 'It's wonderful that Steve, Tommy and James wanted to help their fellow seafarers. We are in absolute awe of them for doing this and honoured that Sailors' Society has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries.
'We're providing support to seafarers and their families across the world, many of whom have been impacted by COVID-19 and are under huge mental strain. This contribution towards our vital work is very gratefully received.'
Further donations are still welcome.
- to donate towards Steve, Tommy and James' efforts go to their Virgin Money Giving Locked Down in EG page
- find out more about the Sailors' Society coronavirus appeal
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