The Challenge

On 9th January Lee departed Portugal on the 3,500-mile endeavour, setting out to challenge the definition of and perception around disability. He has faced waves of approx. 40 foot, four 15 metre sperm whales swimming underneath him, a bout of gastroenteritis and technical issues including losing GPS and AIS for a week. He slept for two hours at a time, was followed by a large shark and all whilst battling the daily routine at sea on a seven-metre boat with the challenges of being a single leg amputee. 

Lee reached Cayenne, French New Guiana on 11th March 2019 to beat the able-bodied World Record for rowing solo across the Atlantic from mainland Europe to mainland South America, by 36 days. Lee is the world’s first physically disabled person to do the crossing and complete it in 60 days, beating the previous record set, in 2002, of 96 days. He has gained two World Records as he crossed the line at 0106hrs local time.  Lee has to date raised over £55,000 for The Royal Marines Charity and The Endeavour Fund, which supports wounded and injured service personnel using sport and adventurous challenges as part of their recovery and rehabilitation.