We are the Friend Brothers
Jack
The Skipper
Jack is the eldest brother (every minute counts as a twin) and works as a consultant in London – the eldest are the boring ones after all. As the self-professed captain, he lives for the detail and will stop at nothing to ensure we are fully prepared for our voyage. Jack is meticulous, organised and strategic. He will be heading up team strategy, certifying that all equipment is logged, tested and ready for the voyage. Jack is a keen sailor having sailed the coast of North Africa, Spain and Croatia.
It will fall to Jack to point the boat in the right direction, manipulating the weather to work for and not against the brothers.
Key Attributes as told by Hamish:
Planning Guru
The reader of the stars
Audaciously ambitious
A pragmatic problem solver
Hamish
The Orator
Trainee surveyor Hamish is the second of the older twins and after 18 months of client lunches in London, the boy has been blessed with the ‘gift of the gab’. Finally putting his foghorn to good use, he will ensure that everyone far and wide knows about the challenge, but more importantly, the wonderful charities and companies we will be partnering with. Hamish rowed during his first year at Oxford Brookes University and is well acquainted with a pair of oars.
Hamish will keep the brothers on stroke, maintaining the crucial can-do attitude he is famous for.
Key Attributes as told by Euan:
Doggedly determined
Ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey
Self-proclaimed best singer
The creative thinker
Arthur
The Thinker
Arthur is the third brother and the older of the second set of twins. Whilst old Dante may see this challenge as a living inferno, this mission is not going to get the best of Arthur, who is due to study a maths PGCE at Oxford University. A 1st team veteran of Edinburgh University RFC, he is used to intense physical training and has a fierce competitive spirit. The brothers will be relying on his sharp intellect and measured judgements to keep them on course.
Arthur will take charge of the team's nutrition for the row, fuelling their strength to keep pulling those oars, stroke after stroke after stroke.
Key Attributes as told by Jack:
Humble achiever
Deep thinker
Inquisitive questioner
Prettiest brother
Euan
The Muscle
Last, but most certainly not least, Euan is the final brother to complete the team. He might be the youngest, but he is definitely not the smallest. The Brawn to Arthur's Brain, the Oxford University Blues 1st team rugby prop is the muscle the brothers will need to power them across the Atlantic. Euan will study his physics PGCE alongside Arthur at Oxford and as a current Earth Sciences student, Euan will be Jack’s, right-hand man. He will use his oceanography knowledge to help navigate the brothers through the stormy waters whilst also educating the brothers on the various fauna they will encounter.
A gym guru, Euan will be ensuring all the brothers are in peak physical condition for the race.
Key Attributes as told by Arthur:
Strong as an ox
Eats like a horse
Brains of the bunch
Mop on top
Support Team
Piers Langdon
Fundraising Manager
Piers shares his nephew's taste for adventure! With a farming background, Piers has taken his hands on experience around the globe and in the last three decades delivered agricultural development projects in remote places across Africa, Asia, and Europe. He brings his fundraising skills and logistical 'know how' to the challenge together with a 'can do' attitude and an eye for detail.
Piers relishes the chance to introduce and connect people in order to solve problems and make stuff happen, so if you're interested he's ready to chat! He is thrilled to be on The FriendShip team and although approaching his mid-sixties, has thrown his name in the hat as the first reserve.
Katie
Humphreys
Social Media Manager
Katie is a 2022 History graduate from the university of Oxford. She started her job as a fast streamer at the Civil Service, Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs.
On the side she has a passion for social media. She has been able to realise her dream of TikTok fame through taking over the brothers social media. Within a week of managing the TikTok she had already raked in over 500,000 views and within a month their followers increased from 100 to 5000. This TikTok fame has also led to an increase in Tinder interest for the sexiest and only single brother Arthur.
Katie will also be taking helm of the Instagram and Facebook an important role of keeping friends and family updated as to the progress of the brothers on the Atlantic.
She will be maximising outreach and quality of content to benefit; followers, charities, and corporate sponsors.
Pete Dixon
Press Liaison
Peter spent more than 30 years as a sports journalist in Fleet Street, the vast majority of them at The Times. As deputy sports editor at the paper, he was responsible for the day-to-day commissioning of news reports and features, and for liaising with a talented team of writers. He later became the paper’s golf correspondent and travelled the world to cover some of the game’s biggest events, among them the men’s and women’s major championships and the Ryder Cup. He was also a ghost writer for Justin Rose, the former world No.1.
After witnessing at close quarters some of the world’s top sportspeople going about their business, Peter came to recognise that huge determination and self-belief were as vital to success as raw talent. “Each of the brothers has these traits in spades,” he says. “From start to finish of this amazing adventure, it’s going to be awesome watching them pull together as a four-man team.”
And as for standing in for any of the brothers should the need arise? He says he’ll stick to his laptop.
Duncan Roy
Ocean Rowing Coach
Duncan is a proud Yorkshireman and former Royal Engineer in the British Army. Following a career-ending injury, he discovered indoor rowing through his rehabilitation. He started competing and fell in love with the sport. This organically led to river rowing and then ultimately spiralled into ocean rowing.
Having rowed across the mid-Pacific, the Atlantic Ocean twice and circumnavigated 82% of Britain’s coastline Duncan has created a training methodology in which he shares his experiences to enable rowers to optimise their preparations, build resilience and thrive on the ocean.
Gus Barton
Training Coach
In 2015 Gus crossed the Atlantic as part of team Ocean Reunion, breaking the then race record. Since then he has worked with over 50 successful teams and individuals.
He takes pride in developing individualised training programmes, aimed to tackle the extreme demands of the sport and be aligned with the goals of each team. It's a pleasure to be working with The Friendship, we have set big goals as a team, and this is been reflected in their training programme.
Will Hatlapa
Photographer
Will is a London based photographer, content creator, and adventure seeker. Often found photographing for lifestyle brands in the city, Will has an underlying passion for documenting stories of travel and adventures off the beaten path.
Will met Jack through friends at Edinburgh University a few years ago and wasn't until recently that he was introduced to the remaining brothers. Almost immediately after Jack and Hamish explained their ambitious challenge to Will, although initially awe-struck, he was excited to offer his photographic services and document their journey where possible.
Will is proud to contribute to the team and help raise awareness for their charitable endeavour.
OLCO Studios
Film Production Company
OLCO Studios is a film production company founded by two friends Ollie and Conor.
They produce TV Commercials, Documentaries, and Branded Content around the world for clients like Sony, Maserati, and Sky.
They love making films about people and their stories so having been asked if we would make a film about the brothers they jumped at the chance!
Mum & Dad
Parents
Last but by no means least, our wonderful parents without whom none of this would have been possible.
