Chief Constable meets with adventurers on their return from epic rowing challenge
On Tuesday evening, Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Will Kerr met with a team of former and serving police officers, who have recently returned from completing a 3,000 mile (4,800km) row across the Atlantic.
The annual Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge began in early December, with up to 30 teams participating from around the world.
The three men named their team, Status Code 14, a police radio request for an urgent call back, help or assistance.
They are taking on five endurance challenges over four years for mental health and cancer charities.
Between them they have also completed a London to Paris Triathlon relay, and a 75-mile (120km) run across Scotland.
The rowing team was made up of Steve Dredge, from Wadebridge in Cornwall, a retired Devon and Cornwall Police firearms officer, Simon Lemon, a serving firearms officer in Plympton, and Matt Inglesby, and a Ministry of Defence police officer based in Faslane, Scotland.
The trio set off from the Canary Isles in December and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean to Antigua - arriving on 10 February at Nelson's Dockyard.
The team spent 60 days, 4 hours and 7 minutes at sea, often facing challenging conditions.
Mr Dredge said being back on land after 60 days at sea was like “the first time coming back to Earth after being away”.
He was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 2017 and said there were “tough” times, as well as times of “absolute pure joy” while the team were at sea.
“We’re very very lucky, we’ve obviously known each other for a while before this, and the team dynamic is very very good,” he added.
“Because of our backgrounds, we're used to being in some interesting situations shall we say, but nothing can compare to that out there, I mean, it was particularly brutal, it was particularly tough, and the bond is probably stronger now than it ever was before."
Chief Constable Kerr said: “It was a real privilege to meet up with members of Status Code 14 this week following their 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic for charity. Their stories of 60 days at sea were inspiring and show the great work our serving and retired officers do outside of their day jobs. I wish them all the best for their upcoming challenges and want to congratulate them again on their incredible achievements and the dedication shown to the charities they support.”
Through Status Code14, the team is aiming to raise awareness of PTSD within the ‘Bluelight’ Emergency Services, raise awareness of treatable men’s cancers and most importantly, raise money for the two charities working to treat PTSD – Rock2Recovery and The Chestnut Appeal.
The team is now training for the fourth leg of the five-part challenge, a 10-day, 206-mile ultra-marathon across Iceland, which is set to take place in August.
The fifth and final challenge will see the team head to Chamonix to climb Mont Blanc, before flying back to Chamonix on paragliders.
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