Gareth Rowland who lives with his family in Mablethorpe and who is currently the President of the Rotary Club of Alford and Mablethorpe has been selected to represent Great Britain in the World Sand Yacht Racing Championships which take place in Patagonia, Argentina in February 2008.

Fifty year old Gareth is the owner of the Holivans Caravan Park in Mablethorpe and has been competing in both sand and ice yacht racing for almost 30 years, he is a previous British and European Sand Yacht champion and has always been highly placed in competitions throughout his racing carer, he has travelled extensively throughout Europe and even as far as New Zealand pursuing his sport.

In addition to his sand racing career he also competes extensively in ice yacht racing, he thinks nothing of hitching up his yacht and driving into the Arctic Circle to take part in competitive races and has been well placed in several European Championships.

Argentina is hosting the world championships for the first time this year; Gareth has already towed his racing yacht to Holland where it has been shipped and is already on its way to Argentina. Around the end of January he will commence the 17 hour flight to Buenos Aries, followed by a 3 hour flight to Rada Tilly on the east coast of Patagonia where six days of racing will take place during the three week trip (It’s so far that it’s only a short hop to the Falkland Islands).

Gareth is one of only two British entries in an extensive field of racers and competes in Class3, known as the Formula 1 of sand yacht racing.

Gareth is also the owner of an upright two-wheeled "Segway" and if there wasn’t enough adventure going on he managed to fall off it over Christmas and broke his leg, the pot will be off before he leaves but he has had to arrange a "pusher" to get him started during the racing.

The three local Rotary clubs in the vicinity of Rada Tilly have arranged a special meeting to host their visiting Rotarian friend.