You’re invited! To the OSCAR Dragon Boat Race 2020

oscar

Join Spinnaker for the 7th annual OSCAR Dragon Boat Race on Friday 11 September 2020.

The OSCAR Campaign has reached over £2million for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH). The OSCAR Campaign’s namesake is Oscar Parry, son of Philip. Oscar was treated for two types of leukaemia from age 3 to age 8. He had two bone marrow transplants – the second trialling an entirely new theory, experimental stem cell transplant, 5 brain haemorrhages. Now 20, Oscar is a living example of the value of bench-to-bedside research and treatment.

Hosted by Spinnaker Global, Chairman and Founder of the OSCAR Campaign Philip Parry said of the 2019 event: “Every year I am humbled by the shipping industry’s support and enthusiasm. This year we hoped to raise £150,000 to take us over the £2m fundraising total and the industry responded – we had 27 teams including ten shipowner teams. The race was won by Borealis who were also the top fundraisers so a huge thank you is due to Christoph Toepfer and Andrei Constantin. Other than my colleagues Lauren Thipthorpe and Rachel Morgan, without whom I could not organise the event, it’s impossible to single out any one person as so many people have become integral to the event’s annual success. We are especially grateful to those companies who come back year after year and to our sponsors Blue Seas Adjusters, Oldendorff, RightShip and IG Group.”

The teams

The teams for the 2019 Race were: Spinnaker, Hill Dickinson, Swire Bulk, BDO LLP, LISCR, C Solutions, North P&I, Britannia P&I, CJC, Borealis Maritime, Shipowners Club, Thomas Miller, Union Maritime, Lomar Shipping, Golar LNG x 4, A.M.Nomikos, Lloyds Register, Ince, IG Group x2, Beazley, Baltic Exchange, Corner Club, MSC Cruises.

How can I get involved?

We already have teams signed up for this year’s OSCAR Dragon Boat Race – would you like to be involved? Here’s how:

  1. Get a team together. You need ten rowers and drummer to keep everyone in time. No training needed! You don’t even have to have set foot in a boat before. The up-front cost is £500 to register, plus a pledge to raise £5,000 in sponsorship
  2. Sponsor the event. There are many opportunities to get your company’s brand seen by over 400 shipping people. From banners welcoming everyone at the venue to sponsoring the drinks, food, live band and boat flags, we have plenty of options.
  3. Come along for the party! There’s a bar, barbecue, live music, and a great atmosphere – so it’s a fun day out even if you’re not on the water. All we ask for is a donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital, payable on the day.

Find out more about all these options by emailing Lauren Thipthorpe at [email protected] or on +44 (0)1702 480142.

Dragon Boat: on the water

Seafarer recruitment scam

sailors

We have been made aware that fraudsters are operating within the industry, posing as NYK recruiting seafarers and asking for passports, documents and money.

NYK have reported this scam to the authorities but we are making Changing Course readers aware and asking you to be vigilant if you are approached by a company asking you for money in order to find a new job.

NYK’s caution notice is as follows:

“It has been brought to our attention that a large-scale maritime officer’s recruitment campaign in the name of a NYK Group Europe is being announced to the seafarers all around the world.

We would like to bring to the attention of all concerned that this is a bogus campaign. None of the NYK Group Companies have arranged any such campaign and we, NYK Group Europe Ltd do not recruit seafarers directly and as such we are NOT involved in such bogus recruitment campaign in any way.

Seafarers are recruited regularly by our NYK Ship Management Company (based in Singapore), as and when required, and we do NOT conduct any such large-scale seafarer’s recruitment campaign as we develop, groom and train most of our seafarers from our own in-house Cadet program.

Seafarers who are interested to work on NYKSM managed vessels may contact us directly through the contacts as mentioned on the NYK Ship Management website.“