Marine Industry ladies spend 24 hours in a liferaft

8 Ladies from the marine industry will spend 24 hours in an eight person liferaft, in total survival mode.

They have enough water for 24 hours, rationed food, and a lack of toilet facilities. You can watch the challenge live with an hour by hour account of what its really like being jammed into a liferaft with 8 ladies.

Will they all get on?
Will all the food go in the first 6 hours?
How do they manage to go to the loo?
Will they all survive?

Read their tweets, watch snapshot videos, listen to podcasts about what really happens inside. Live from 18.00, 9th November 2012 at Swanwick Marina and spectators are invited to come to the marina to support the ladies and heckle from the stability of terra firma!

GIRLS ADRIFT LIFERAFT TEAM
Mandy Chapman Boatshed.com
Jo Dixie Goodwin PSP
Bree Barnes Dasic Marine
Chrissie Capel Boatshed.com
Carol Brant PSP
Hannah Clark PSP
Carly Parrick Rose Road Association
Lesley Fitt Sailing Networks

Click here to view the profiles

MANDY CHAPMAN
Co founder of Boatshed.com with husband Neil back in 1999. Life is one big adventure and I'm always looking for the next to get my teeth into. I have used a liferaft back in 1998 when our 42 Ketch capsized 360 degrees in 11 meter seas. We used our liferaft (which had self inflated and was flying like a kite in 70 winds until we hauled it back down along side the boat) to ferry us from our dis-masted boat to the lifeboat. Love running, muddy walks with dogs and have done over 30,000 sea miles.
What will you miss the most in these 24 hours?
Stretching my legs with Neil and the dogs on a muddy coastal path.
How do you think you will cope?
OK, it will be very different atmosphere as we all enter this liferaft as is not out of necessity for survival but a challenge to raise awareness for Sail 4 Cancer charity. It will be like big brother in a tiny box, on the water! Drinking enough water is very important to we keep healthy and regular loo stops inside the liferaft is a must.
What's your worst nightmare of spending these 24 hours in a liferaft?
Clash of personality, snoring, I'm nearly 6 foot tall so cramped and stiff legs, no dog walks.
You are allowed 1 luxury (not alcohol) what will you take?
My luxury that I cannot do without will be my Neals Yard Wild Rose Beauty Elixir, great face cream and the smell is gorgeous, which will help mask the smell of 7 ladies by the end of the 24 hours!
Its a great opportunity to show real life footage of what really happens, how we cope, how we go to the loo, how our rations last. It will be a blast, plus all for a really superb cause to help the Sail 4 Cancer charity.

JO DIXIE-GOODWIN
Name- Jo Dixie-Goodwin
Age – 35
Star Sign – Aquarius
Job – Marketing Manager at PSP Worldwide Logistics
Past Jobs involving the sea - SCUBA instructor and Underwater filmographer in Thailand
I love the water but prefer being under it, although in this case I certainly want to be above it! I have no life raft experience, which is probably a good thing, but have spent many years crossing the Andaman Sea in a variety of vessels.
I have experienced both the best and the worst that the sea can offer having worked in the most beautiful of underwater environments and having survived the 2004 tsunami.
Sail 4 Cancer is a great charity and definitely offers fantastic life changing opportunities. In my opinion the sea is a very therapeutic environment and offers a sense of freedom like no other. I’m not sure this freedom applies to a small raft full of outspoken ladies!
The fact that the horizon isn’t really visible from the covered raft will definitely test one’s stomach and inner ear balance! It would be famous last words for me to declare I don’t get seasick, so I won’t!
I think the whole ‘toilet’ issue could cause some problems, but more likely to cause hysterics!
I hope no-one becomes incredibly annoying otherwise I may jump over board, but I am definitely a lover of warm water and therefore will avoid jumping at all costs!!
Luxury Item – Now this is where I am stumped for ideas especially as alcohol is forbidden!! I am still considering this and will update when I have decided!

HANNAH CLARK
Age - 23
Starsign – Taurus
Job – Marine Freight Co-ordinator at PSP Worldwide Logistics
I am not the most experienced of sailors but I have taken the Gosport Ferry, which runs between Gosport and Portsmouth, many times. Having said that I have experienced both a pedalo and banana boat whilst holidaying so I really should give myself more credit!
I am most worried about the lack of toilet facilities. I will miss what we take for granted, a lot. I was thinking that maybe I could take a toilet with me as my luxury item?!
I never get seasickness but let’s be honest, I haven’t really tested myself as of yet!
I am worried/scared that we may cast off in the middle of the night and start drifting down the River Hamble to the big open sea!
My luxury item will either be a toilet or my ipad – we can’t miss Eastenders after all!
On a serious note, my best friend Jonny has spent the past two years fighting cancer and by doing this I hope I can make him at least half as proud of me as I am of him.
Bring on the challenge!

LESLEY FITTS
Lesley Fitt, co-founder of Sailing Networks, Mum, dog walker, and Sea scout Leader.
Sailor non sailor/ previous liferaft experiences? - Cruiser sailor all my life, never been in a liferaft.
What will you miss the most in these 24 hours? - I won't miss anything, am going to enjoy the time out.
How do you think you will cope? - Well, I think, we have a great bunch of ladies on board to support each other.
Whats your worst nightmare/worry of spending these 24 hours in a liferaft? The same as every one else's - the lack of a loo!
You are allowed 1 luxury (not alcohol) what will you take? - "50 shades of !!", no actually "War and Peace", been meaning to start it for years.
Any thing else? - Thank you to Mandy for organizing the event, remind me not to make eye contact with you next time you have a bright idea.

BREE BARNES
Aged 38, Operations Manager for Dasic Marine Limited.
Like many of the ladies, I love taking on new challenges especially ones for a great cause! In June this year I ran 111km from Carlisle to Newcastle over two nightmarish days for the Stroke Association and I have just been granted a place in the 2013 London Marathon for SENSE, an organisation that provides support to Children who are both Deaf and Blind.
Fortunately I have never been in a life-raft before but I have always loved the water. I previously raced Dragon Boats in Hong Kong and have my Power Boat L2 Cert. Following a recent sailing taster session with the lovely Mandy and Neil, my passion for Power Boating has definitely shifted to Sailing.
What will you miss the most in these 24 hours?
Spending time with my partner Simon and my little girl, Sophia. (I am hoping I don’t miss toilet facilities and I’m trying hard to forget about this aspect of the challenge.)
How do you think you will cope?
I am not sure, it is totally different to anything I have done before.
What's your worst nightmare of spending these 24 hours in a life-raft?
Falling asleep then waking up to a group of frustrated, tired ladies informing me that I have been either snoring or sleep talking for hours!!
You are allowed 1 luxury (not alcohol) what will you take?
I like staying warm so perhaps a couple of little hand heaters.
I can’t begin to imagine how tough it must be for families and patients living with cancer and hope that we raise enough money to help make somebody's life a little easier.