After three months of anticipation, I am delighted to be able to announce that our search to find the sixth and final crew member for the Old Pulteney Row to the Pole has ended.

We’ve found our man.

David Mans, a 28-year-old British Army Officer from Hampshire, beat stiff competition from hundreds of international entrants to be crowned the Pole
Position winner at the London Boat Show 2011. David’s determination, fitness and stamina stood out amongst the other finalists and saw him scoop the life changing prize, and he will now be trained by me in
the countdown to the summer expedition send off. He beat a great list of 47 other international competitors who were invited to compete head-to-head in a Pole Position Challenge Day in November last year. It was a gruelling day. To test their physical and mental abilities, contestants underwent a two and a half hour endurance row, group interviews and psychometric tests.

To reach the magnetic North Pole, David will row with the rest of the crew members in three-hour shifts, and will have to overcome challenging weather and subzero temperatures with little chance of rest or shelter.

His rowing experience at both coastal and river clubs combined with his career as an army officer will put him in good stead to overcome the many obstacles he will face during the arduous voyage. David is no stranger to cold, monotony and exhaustion and the effect it can have on a team of people. He credits his sense of humour in the face of adversity and strong determination to succeed as the key attributes he will bring to the team.

We’ll be adding a crew section to the site, so you can find out more about everyone who’ll be joining me in the boat.

Well, we finally have it, the evidence on film of a truly outstanding performance by the 48 hopefuls.

I can honestly say we tested them both physically and mentally in preparation to select our pole position winner. The winner will be announced at The LONDON BOAT SHOW in January, however I must extend my appreciation and admiration for all those that took part in the trials – take a look at the video to see them in action!

Last Saturday left both myself and the Old Pulteney team truly humbled. The effort put in by the 48 finalists of the Pole Position Heat was utterly extraordinary, and I could not be more appreciative of everyone for making it to the day and putting their all into each grueling exercise.

Each finalist was put through a series of incredibly demanding tests: endurance rowing for two and half hours, group interviews and psychometric trials. All were specifically designed to ensure the winning candidate has what it takes both physically and mentally to endure the demanding challenge of rowing to the North Pole.

The event took place at Dorney Lake, Eton Rowing Centre – the Olympic Rowing Centre for 2012, and I would like to also thank the staff at Dorney Lake for making the event such a success.

The winner will be announced at the London Boat Show in January. Ultimately we are looking for three people (one plus two reserves) to make up the squad. We are looking for people who best complement the existing crew members: - knowing our skills/strengths/weaknesses and also bearing in mind other skills that might be useful to us.

However, choosing the winner will be no mean feat, as after meeting everyone on Saturday, I would be truly honoured to have any one of the finalists by my side on our way to the North Pole. None the less, I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of training with the winner before embarking on our life changing expedition in August 2011.