12 hours ago
Charity rowers eye Atlantic crossing record
A four-man team of rowers are looking to write their names into the history books and become the fastest group to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Jack Jarvis, David Bruce, Sam Edwards and Adam Radcliffe will row from New York all the way back to Southampton in an attempt to set a record. On Thursday evening they will embark on a 3,500-mile journey across the North Atlantic in a bid to break the 43-day world record for this route. They are doing this challenge to raise money for Head Up, a UK charity aimed at promoting mental health awareness for UK armed forces."Doing experiences like this can give you magical moments," Jarvis told BBC South Today."It takes a lot of grit but I love the real test of mental fortitude and there are incredible rewards out there like seeing the sunrises, sunsets and the wildlife."Having to deal with the test of being in the Atlantic Ocean It will help to be able to deal with the pressures of life and all it throws at you, it gives you those tools you need."
Jarvis has previously taken part in extreme rowing. Back in 2022 he became the first person to row solo and unsupported from mainland Europe to mainland North America. The charity they are raising money for has a personal meaning to the team, of whom some have a military background. One of Bruce's close friends - a former Royal Marine who had been deployed to Afghanistan - took his life this year. "It is a charity close to all of our hearts," Jarvis added."Head Up help current and former members of the armed forces cope better with their mental health, it's a charity we really want to get behind."We're a really aligned group doing this. I met some of them through my military service and I met Adam online, we rode from the Bahamas to Miami before."They're a good group of lads and I'm really looking forward to this experience of rowing the Atlantic with them."
