Mark Slats can be described as an adventurous man who participates in races and takes on challenges in games. He is originally from Australia but lived in the Netherlands for most of his life. His occupation is that of a contractor, but he aims, that in a few years, he will become a full-time adventurer. Mark is mostly passionate about the ocean. Whether it’s sailing, rowing or swimming, you will be sure to find Mark there. Above all, he aims to motivate people with his motto being, ‘be stronger than your excuse’, encouraging people to start doing what they are dreaming about. Mark motivates and inspires others by being a speaker at events. He talks all about his stories and journeys and makes people aware of how anything is possible in life.
Mark took on the adventure of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2020/2021. This ocean rowing event challenge took Mark more than 3,000 miles west from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard English Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda. This race, that takes place annually, commenced in December with around 30 participating teams from all around the world. The following facts will give you an idea of what the race consisted of.
- Throughout the race, each participating team had to row around 1.5 million oar stroker.
- Rowers were constantly rowing for 2 hours and sleeping for 2 hours.
- Over €6 million was raised for charities over the past 4 races.
- Rowers can experience waves of up to 20 feet high.
- Safety yachts were present to support the teams.
In this rowing challenge, Mark was aiming to complete it with his teammate Kai Wiedmer. Their goal was to be the first boat to finish while accomplishing yet another world record and so they did! The Dutch pair arrived in Antigua just after 32 days, 22 hours and 13 minutes after leaving La Gomera on the 12th of December. They broke the record by finishing the race five days quicker than the 2017-18 winners. He made use of his very own equipment from his ocean rowing and sailing company, ‘Dutch Ocean Expeditions’, in which he produces and sells hand build boats of high quality. Therefore, Mark built his very own carbon rowing boat.
Mark’s mother was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago and since then they found out that the medicines for treatment are very expensive. Up to now they have worked with The Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Foundation. This foundation is researching and working on cheaper medicines to make it accessible for more people. Mark’s goal is to help as many people as he can in their fight against cancer with the donations gathered. Mark and his team are working on starting their own foundation, so they can support even more projects like this. He states how the donations are doing amazing and how he will soon reach his target goal of €65,000.
MrCasinova, a Malta-based online casino affiliate website, consisting of a small team of young casino marketers. With different backgrounds and cultures, each individual brings different qualities to the table that help the company grow and succeed. Their passion and focus is to deliver guaranteed entertainment within the online gaming industry. One of the team’s main goal is to make the world a better place by giving something back to our beloved planet. Therefore, other than providing entertainment, MrCasinova will also connect a cause to it.
Following recent reports of the devastating impact being caused on the planet, the team at MrCasinova decided to introduce a new program where they commit to donate £1 to organisations who are making the world a better place from each new player that refers to an online casino from their pages. As the year comes to an end, the amount will be gathered and donated to the chosen organisations. Therefore, MrCasinova is always on the lookout for Environmental Groups and NGO’s to donate to. In 2019, a number of charities benefited from the donations. These include:
- Wildlife Victoria & Givit
When the news of the fires in Australia hit the headline, the distressing news had many site users suggesting charities that are associated to the bushfires taking place. Therefore, MrCasinova started donating to Wildlife Victoria. The donations are used to help with wildlife shelters and carers to help rebuild enclosures for the hurt animals during the fires. Moreover, MrCasinova also started donating to Givit which is a charity that raises funds to purchase essential items for those less fortunate who have been impacted by the fires.
- Plastic Oceans UK, Earth Day and Defenders
We also pledged money to Plastic Oceans, Earth Day and Defenders. Defenders aim to prevent animal extinction by protecting those most threatened, Earth Day educates worldwide environmental movements, and Plastic Oceans UK aim to stop plastic from reaching the oceans. These charities have the environment at heart and day by day strive to create a greener planet.
- Local Maltese Charities
MrCasinova is open to suggestions from the general public as to where the money should go. Read more here.
You can help out too! By visiting Mark Slats’ website, https://www.markslats.nl/, you can also help Mark to reach his goal by donating a minimum amount of €10. Meanwhile, whoever wishes to suggest a noble gesture to add to MrCasinova.com, can do so by sending an email at contact[at]mrcasinova.com.
