Two Lymington brothers are preparing to row the Atlantic Ocean in memory of their late father Peter Massey, who sufferer with basal cell carcinoma skin cancer and sadly passed away in 2015 aged 63.

Jude Massey, 17, and Dr Greg Bailey, 26, have launched a campaign to raise £100,000 for the British Skin Foundation – a charity that funds skin cancer research – whilst also raising awareness of the dangers of skin cancer. The 3,000 mile trip is due to take place in January 2018 and will commence in the Canaries and end in Barbados. “It’s a gruelling trip’” explained Jude, “We’ll be rowing for two hours on and two hours off non-stop both day and night.”

Conditions on the boat will be basic, relying on solar panels to power a water maker for both vital drinking water and fresh water to rehydrate freeze-dried meals. They’ll also have GPS communication, along with radar alerts to avoid collisions with nearby vessels.

Once they have departed they will be at the mercy of the elements with the potential for hurricanes, capsizes, electrical failure, passage of large vessels, large marine life, sea sickness, injury and equipment breakages. Should conditions become unsafe to row, the brothers must deploy their para-anchor, a submersible parachute shaped piece of equipment which will keep the boat pointing into the waves and reduce the likelihood of a capsize as they sit and wait in the watertight cabin.

The challenge will be a good test of both physical and psychological strength. To add some perspective, only 317 crews have successfully crossed the Atlantic, with 153 unsuccessful crews and six crews who died attempting the challenge. Some 536 individuals have been into space and over 5,500 have climbed Mount Everest. The brothers have put their lives on hold to complete the challenge, directing all of their efforts into training and fundraising. The duo, who have never rowed before are aiming to take between four and eight weeks to complete the journey. If they succeed, Jude – a sailing instructor – is likely to become a record holder as the first vegan to complete this journey, shining the spotlight on endurance events for vegans.

Peter, Jude father and Greg’s stepfather, spent 16 years undergoing painful treatment for skin cancer. “There are no words to describe how awful this disease is both for the sufferer and their family” said NHS doctor Greg. “The more awareness we can raise, the better for everyone.”

The brothers will be packing plenty of sunscreen for their trip as they’ll need to be covering themselves from head to toe every day. 

The boys are launching their sponsorship awareness campaign and are seeking support from different companies and organisations. They can be contacted through their website, email (contact@oceanbrothers.co.uk) or telephone (07590 926796). Please follow their Facebook & Twitter pages to keep up to date with their training and latest news.

For more information on sun safety, mole checking and skin cancer, please visit the British Skin Foundation website here.

  

British Skin Foundation

At BSF we believe research is the key to beating skin disease, and we've come a long way in terms of what we know about them since the charity was founded back in 1996. In that time, we've taken great strides in understanding how many of the skin diseases function and spread, as well as how this will ultimately affect our management of them. Our unwavering commitment to funding quality research means we won't stop until we've found cures for common skin problems like eczema and acne through to potential killers like malignant melanoma.

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