Drytac sets sail in Atlantic Dash endurance challenge

Print Solutions

Drytac's Polar Grip Matte film was put to the ultimate test when graphics printed on the material were featured on a boat crossing the Atlantic Ocean in an extreme endurance challenge.

A team of four men rowed, non stop, for 3200 miles from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, in a challenge dubbed the ‘Atlantic Dash’. Skipper Billy Taylor was joined by Johnny Ward, Matthew Pritchard and Martin Heseltine for the journey, which took 50 days, five hours and 12 minutes.

Such was the extreme nature of the challenge that Monkey Fist Adventures, organiser of the event, relied onDrytac materials for support in decorating the boat with striking graphics that would be able to withstand the harsh environment out on the Atlantic Ocean.

Globe Print, a long term user of the products, took on the task of printing the graphics, having previously worked with Monkey Fist Adventures on one of its previous challenges. The Marlow based company used a Roland SolJet EJ-640 large format printer to print the graphics on Polar Grip film which was then paired with Interlam Pro Emerytex overlaminate.

Polar Grip is a self-adhesive vinyl for digitally printed graphics and signs, designed to look vibrant and remain in place for up to five years, making it the ideal solution for such a testing project.

The graphics, featuring the many sponsors supporting the event, were applied to the boat on location in Lanzarote prior to the team setting off on their journey in early March, with the quartet making land in Antigua on 2 May 2021.

Barry Hayes, director of Monkey Fist Adventures, said the decision to work with Globe Print again for the Atlantic Dash challenge was an easy one, with the graphics used in a previous event having proved extremely successful.

‘We have used other companies in the past, but on previous crossing we went to Globe Print, and apart from just being all round nice people, the Drytac products supplied were far superior to anything we had ever used before,’ Barry said.

‘Oceans are harsh on everything, but our sponsors – and their logos – remained solid and steadfast for the entirety of both the Atlantic Dash crossings.

‘The Globe Print team went above and beyond to produce the printed graphics exceedingly quickly – as they knew we had very tight timeframes.’

The Atlantic Dash has raised more than £8000 for two very worthy causes: Humen, a movement to improve and maintain men's mental health; and Dean Farm Trust, an organisation committed to working for a sustainable, healthy and cruelty free planet.