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INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand is sponsoring team Arctic Row on their world-record attempt to row 1,300 miles in 30 days across the Arctic Ocean in July. The nonstop, unsupported row is the first of its kind, launching from Inuvik, Canada, and landing in Providenya, Russia. The four-man adventure crew will be outfitted in gear made with CORDURA fabric from brands including Kokatat, Eddie Bauer and Sea to Summit.
Crew members Scott Mortensen, Neal Mueller, Paul Ridley and Collin West each contribute to a collective resume of adventure accomplishments that includes climbing Mount Everest, swimming the English Channel and completing a Trans-Atlantic ocean row. Sleeping in shifts, the crew will switch off with two members of the team rowing at a time. Two watertight cabins will allow the crew to escape the 24 hours of sunlight for naps and keep their gear and food dry and secure.
In the brisk environment, Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suits featuring CORDURA fabric on the self-draining seat and knee patches will help the crew stay mobile and dry. Eddie Bauer First Ascent Jeans made from CORDURA Denim fabric will provide comfort and ease of motion without sacrificing durability. And in an unsupported row, every piece of cargo is precious, so the crew will protect items in Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil™ Dry Sacks made with 30D CORDURA Ultralite fabric and in Eddie Bauer Maximus 40 Duffel Bags with a double-layer, 1000D CORDURA fabric bottom.
The sponsorship will support the crews’ electronic systems on the boat that connects their wind turbine, solar panel arrays and backup battery system to their GPS, water desalinator and computer. The electronic system will also allow the crew to send short updates and low-resolution pictures from the middle of their journey.