Bear Grylls Trans-Atlantic Challenge
In 2003, the Captive Minds office was located in Battersea just metres away from Bear Grylls’ houseboat on the Thames.
We grew to know Bear well and worked together on the Arnold & Son Trans Atlantic Arctic Expedition.
The expedition sought to become “the first ever team to complete an unassisted crossing of the North Atlantic in an ‘open’ rigid inflatable boat (RIB)”, taking place to raise funds for The Princes Trust.
The 6 man journey became the subject of the book ‘Facing The Frozen Ocean’ in which Bear recounts in graphic detail the dangers the team faced over the course of the 2 week journey.
The Trans Atlantic Arctic expedition would begin in Halifax, Nova Scotia and end in Cape Wrath, Northern Scotland via stops at Labrador, Greenland and Iceland.
Before, during and after the event, Captive Minds was integral to managing every element around the expedition other than the logistics of the event itself.
We managed all the press and media, the 18 sponsors and organised the numerous press calls and post-expedition party in St. Katherine’s Dock. The media coverage of the event was intense and the agency secured three national front page hits in the UK alongside worldwide print and broadcast.
Alex Rayner accompanied Bear to New York to launch ‘Facing The Frozen Ocean’ to the US on behalf of Macmillan publishing. Today, it’s fair to say that this expedition has left a legacy that has gone on to inspire a new generation of adventurers.
Bear Grylls has gone on to become a household name in the UK and US with his series “Man Vs Wild”. We wish him every success.
