Rannoch Adventure evolved organically from founder Charlie Pitcher's passion for sea-going adventure and the desire to excel in all aspects of ocean rowing. The sport has become hugely popular in recent years and continues to grow with events taking place worldwide.
Upon completing the 2009 Trans-Atlantic Race, Charlie’s first boat, JJ, beat the entire fleet and then went on to set the solo world record the following year. Rannoch’s second boat, Soma, then smashed this record again soon after. Since 2011, Rannoch has manufactured around 170 high quality and innovative boats to the ocean and recreational rowing communities.
In 2021 we launched Roxy Expeditions in our 12 person ocean rowing boat. We are passionate about making rowing accessible to everyone and Roxy enables us to do just that. From crossing an ocean to island hopping in Scotland, we have something for everyone keen to try their hand at ocean rowing.
Rannoch Adventure is based in Burnham on Crouch which is near international air and shipping ports. We pride ourselves on being the only rowing business out there that is run by rowers and short-handed sailors and put our entire focus on rowing. We have access to the water 24/7 for training and are within very close proximity to RYA recognized sailing schools for training courses. We are also incredibly proud that almost all of the trade that is involved with the construction of Rannoch boats is local to Burnham itself.
About Rannoch Adventure
Meet Our Team
CEO and Founder
Charlie’s background lies within professional sailing having competed as a youngster in the America’s Cup and winning the Admiral’s Cup twice thereafter.
Charlie’s sea going focus has shifted towards specialising in Ocean rowing. In 2009, he single-handedly beat all other solo and pairs boats to win the Woodvale Challenge Atlantic Rowing Race. This feat was surpassed in 2013 when he broke the world record for the fastest un-assisted solo row across the Atlantic by almost 6 days. Both crossings were completed in Rannoch designs.
Today, not only does he take on serious rowing campaigns, but is also involved in every single new build and refurbishment project. In his spare time Charlie is an avid ultra-runner and sailing coach to a number of local sailing clubs.
Read Charlie's interview on Go Solo.
Director
Oli drives the research and development arm of the business. He brings with him a huge amount of experience in engineering, manufacturing, shipping, logistics and technical support and has a keen eye for detail and eagerness for a challenge.
Oli has a huge passion for adventure and has travelled extensively both in a technical role for a leading vehicle manufacturer to provide support and training, and also for his own pursuit of seeking new experiences and places.
In his free time Oli enjoys restoring classic cars and spending as much time in the great outdoors as possible, enjoying mountain biking, skiing, camping and wild swimming.
General Manager and Servicing
Mike has overseen, built, fitted out and refurbished every one of our ocean rowing boats.
Prior to being involved in ocean rowing, Mike was responsible for building and finishing off a number of medal winning boats for the Beijing, Athens, Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics.
Mike is the man who ensures that our boats are 100% safe before leaving the workshop, as well as introducing new and innovative ideas to all of our boats.
Mike manages to combine two of the most time consuming hobbies. If he is not playing with boats, he'll be busy looking after his horses.
Energy and Power Solutions Manager
Gary is our Electrical Guru!
With his expertise and hours of hard work being poured into every boat, no one knows our boats and how to fit the parts we use better than him!
Despite being an electrician for his day job, Gary can’t help but tinker around with other electronic projects in his spare time at home too.
He also enjoys flying model aeroplanes and playing the drums.
Customer Services and Training Manager
Lizzie Brown looks after all our World's Toughest Row customers and keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes at Rannoch HQ. In 2021, Lizzie skippered Roxy on three of the legs of the Great British Row and across the Atlantic Ocean. She now runs our Taster Days and supports Charlie in training teams for independent rowing challenges.
As well as having many hours of offshore and dinghy racing under her belt, Lizzie was an RNLI helmsman for over 15 years and remains very active in the sailing world. She has years of coaching experience and was involved for many years as "safety" at club and national level for dinghy sailing, and is always happy to share her experiences on this.
Business Administrator
Rachel works alongside Mike & Lizzie keeping the business administration under control. She oversees purchase orders and stock control and makes sure the right parts are in the right place at the right time. In addition, she manages the accounts for the business.
Rachel grew up in Burnham on Crouch and loves the outdoor life the town provides. Although she hasn't as much boating experience as many of the other members of the team, she has learnt very quickly.
Rachel is eternally positive and never fails to bring a ray of sunshine into the Rannoch work place!
Energy Technician
Charlie works alongside Gary, fitting out ocean rowing boats with their electrical systems. He has a huge enthusiasm for learning on the job and is a very welcome addition to our production team.
Charlie grew up around Burnham and rugby is his great passion, having played since the age of 5. He thrives off the challenge to win and currently plays for his local and childhood team Burnham-on-Crouch.
He is also a keen horse rider and sailor.
Logistics
Chris supports Rannoch on all logistics – getting boats from A to B, launch and recovery, collecting trailers, loading boats ready for shipping, and helping out on our Roxy Expeditions programme.
Chris is an avid sailor, keeping his boat at Mersea Island. He also enjoys playing tennis and has an extensive music collection.
Boat Manufacturing Assistant
Dave works alongside Mike assisting with all aspects of ocean rowing boat manufacture. This includes fitting boats out, repairing broken parts, assembly of oars, cleaning, polishing and anti-fouling boats and all associated yard work.
In his spare time, Dave loves DIY at home, music (in particular playing the bass guitar) and also has a passion for silver-smithing, which takes up a lot of time.
Servicing Assistant
Rowan works in our Service Centre, bringing boats back to all their glory after an ocean crossing. He is involved in cleaning boats, removing of decals/wrapping, polishing, repairing broken parts and associated yard work.
When not at work, Rowan is preparing for his own transatlantic row in 2025, aiming to become the youngest team in history. He is the lead singer in a band, loves to play golf and is Cadet Warrant Officer in the RAF Air Cadets.
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