In December of this year, British soldier, Jack Jarvis, will be attempting something no one has ever done before – rowing solo from mainland Europe to mainland North America.
He will be doing this all by himself, and all in an attempt to raise money for two charities, Brainstrust & CALM. He will sail from Albuerira in Portugal to the port of Miami in order to avoid hurricane season in The Atlantic.
If he succeeds, he will have broken the world record for the first person to row solo along that route.
Jack will be alone at sea for almost 100 days as he attempts to cross the Channel.
The journey is around 4,500 nautical miles meaning Jack will be at sea alone for almost 100 days, rowing almost 50 miles every single day.
The row will be incredibly testing, both mentally and physically, but it's something Jack wants to do in honour of his late grandfather, who passed away in 2007 from a brain tumour.
Jack has served in the armed forces but expects this to be one of his toughest challenges yet.
He told GB News’ Ellie Costello that if his grandfather could fight a brain tumour for three years, then he could tackle the Atlantic for three months. This isn’t the first extreme challenge that Jack has set himself, in July, he ran a marathon while carrying a 26kg rowing machine.
When asked about his fundraising efforts, Jack said: "I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. It really does mean a lot and the funds raised will go a long way in helping me to achieve my goal of rowing the Atlantic solo in support of Brainstrust & CALM.
"But of course, any donations to these two amazing charities are very much appreciated."
Jack is now three months away from the row so is in intensive training and fundraising as much cash as he can on the side. He has had support from several local businesses to meet the £90,000 needed to get him to the starting line. His specialist rowing boat and kit has been a significant investment.
GoFundMe pages for the charities of Jack's choice have been set up which the public can donate to.
Our South-East England reporter, Ellie Costello, went to meet Jack during his training last week:
GB News will be following Jack throughout his journey and will keep you updated with his progress during the challenge.
Jack’s fundraising page can be found here.
