Helen Pateman

Helen Pateman ran her own business in Kendal for 13 years, is a self trained Thai chef, and originally trained at Manchester Metropolitan University as an illustrator and cartoonist. It was through Helen that the team first came across the Thai Children’s Trust, Helen’s favourite charity (outside of Fourbirdsaboating of course!).

Helen regularly gives her time and specialist skills as a chef and an artist, to raise funds for the causes she believes in. These activities have included a hot food stall in Kendal selling fusion food cooking to order, and painting outdoor murals at a local village school in the Lake District where she lives.

As Fourbirdsaboating’s Artistic Director, Helen is responsible for illustrating all of our educational materials, and every Friday she turns our week’s activities into a doodled diary for #Fundoodlefriday. Post ocean row, her diary doodles will form the basis of a published book to raise further funds for the Thai Children’s Trust and Fourbirdsaboating.

As Support Crew for the Pacific Ocean row in 2014, Helen will fly out to Monterey Bay, Honolulu, and Cairns to help the team clean, re-stock, and prepare the boat ‘Mr Toad’, as well as bringing back the water, marine debris, and faecal samples collected by the team during the 8 month row, returning them to the UK to be analysed by the scientists from each field of research. On the flight from Australia to the UK, Helen will join the rowers as they visit 2000 orphans across Thailand who are supported by the Thai Children’s Trust.

Follow Helen on Twitter and Facebook

Steve Smith

Steve studied Mechanical Engineering at Bournemouth and Poole University, he now works full time as an Engineer in Dorset. Steve first met Fourbirdsaboating’s Founding Director Sarah when they attended Ferndown First Primary School, Ferndown Middle School, and Ferndown Upper School, and as teens participated in their local Venture Scout group.

Steve spends much of his free time outdoors whether that’s surfing on the south coast or sea kayaking. In 2014 Steve will take a gap year in order to support the team during their 8 month Pacific Ocean row from America to Australia, traveling in between meeting the team to help with boat repairs and maintenance, re-stocking between each stage of the journey, and driving the team to each school on the islands they visit.

Steve is very much the practical, hands on, logistics side of the team. Follow Steve on Twitter here.