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The Crew

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The Skipper, 'JK' is a health-retired 'blue light' emergency service volunteer, where teamwork, safety, and discipline was essential.

 

First mate, Farris is no stranger to pushing himself to the limit.

 

The pair will test their mettle whilst battling storms, seasickness, tiny cramped quarters, dehydrated food rations, and isolation from their families and home comforts.

 

The expedition will be the ultimate test of endurance. Hopefully, they'll still be talking once they cross the Atlantic.

John-Kenneth D Habbershaw (Jnr.)

The Skipper

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John-Kenneth 'JK' is 42 years old; he’s a Marine Surveyor, Marine Electrician, and the director of WillMyBoatFloat Ltd. based in Essex.

 

Since 2014 JK has worked with Teams and Solo Ocean Rowers to get them safely across the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean; many of them have set new world or race records in the process.

 

He grew up at a Yorkshire seaside resort and has always enjoyed being around boats and water; he has been sailing independently for 15 years in the North Sea and UK's East Coast.

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JK spent nine years as a 'blue light' emergency service volunteer before retiring from service due to health.

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"I am excited and nervous about the journey ahead, but we are doing this for fantastic causes. The charities we are supporting do incredible work, and we want to do everything we can to help them. Crossing the Atlantic in such a small boat will undoubtedly be tough, but knowing that we are raising funds and awareness for such important causes will keep us going."

Farris Collins

First Mate

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Farris Collins is 27 years old, he is completely inexperienced when it comes to sailing but is no stranger to pushing himself to the limit.

 

He represented Great Britain in Powerlifting for several years, from 2015-2019, gaining four gold medals in the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships and one bronze medal in the 2016 world championships.

 

He has completed several climbing expeditions, including Mt Toubkal in Morocco and Mt Kilimanjaro.

Farris currently works as a Senior Process Analyst at Knight Frank, where he consults on difficult problems relating to business operations and software systems development.

Farris says, "I’ve never been good at taking a well-trodden path. I never attended university and instead delivered beer kegs 2/3 days a week and studied business on my own at Bournemouth library."

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Farris will use the experience gained in this adventure to row across the Atlantic Ocean on a later expedition.

Captain Bitey

Morale Officer

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  • Bites

  • Ill-tempered and foul-mouthed

  • Leaves crumbs everywhere

  • Social Media emissary

  • Blue, Green, Yellow, and sounds like a carrot

Gareth Thomas

Shore Crew

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Gareth is a member of our Shore Crew Volunteers and works as a Trainee Marine Electrician at WillMyBoatFloat Ltd., based in Essex. Gareth is also an Engineering Student at The Colchester Institute.

 

Since February 2025, Gareth has been giving up some of his free time to assist with Poppet's restoration and to learn new marine skills outside of his usual work.

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Gareth recently participated in Fundraising at Seawork, assisting with the team's 'Winch Game'.

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When we asked Gareth if he'd like to go sailing, he said, "I'd rather stick to my motorcycle!".

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