Jonathan Slater raises £5,000 in Atlantic challenge

Hotelier Jonathan Slater, who is currently overseeing the launch of a second Oddfellows hotel, has raised over £5,000 by sailing more than 2,700 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

He completed the journey by taking part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers as one of five crew members aboard Cheery-Bye, a 50ft Beneteau. The money raised will go to the Worshipful Company of Innholders' Charitable Foundation, which funds the Master Innholders Scholarships and Aspiring Leaders Diploma.

Slater, himself a Master Innholder, undertook the catering during the trip, which set off from Gran Canaria and arrived in St Lucia 17 days later. His boat was 14th in its class and 76th overall out of 200 boats.

Slater said the challenge was something he had always wanted to do, but it was not easy. "We had some hairy moments; nighttime was like a 10-hour rollercoaster ride whilst being blindfolded," he explained.

"I was lucky to be part of a great crew and it was important to work together in such a highly pressured environment, where food rations are strict, space is tight and a lapse in concentration can be disastrous.

Slater, former managing director of the Chester Grosvenor hotel, currently runs a management company, which is developing and managing the Oddfellows group of boutique hotels.

The group's second hotel Oddfellows in the Park Cheadle, Manchester - which is currently being built - will follow on from Oddfellows Chester. It is due to open in summer 2016.

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