Oarsome Army Educators prepare to test body and mind in World's Toughest Row
Four officers from the Educational and Training Services (ETS) branch of the British Army say they are embracing a "unique opportunity" to come together and take on the World's Toughest Row across the Atlantic.
Major Dec Lynn (Ireland), Major Graham Doyle (Ireland), Lieutenant Jess Hunter (Australia) and Lieutenant Gian-Luc Angiolini (UK) will row from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean in an unsupported 3,000-mile journey, battling some of the toughest maritime conditions.
The Oarsome Army Educators' journey is due to begin in mid-December and is expected to take around six weeks to complete, with the team aiming to raise awareness of the contribution made by the ETS to the Army as well as raising money for the Army Benevolent Fund.
Inspiration came from Maj Lynn's battle with cancer, after which he challenged himself to take on the row and received support from his three fellow team members.
He told BFBS Sport: "In 2016, I just wasn't feeling great, and it turned out that it was a small bout of cancer and the doctor who was looking after me at the time said 'You know, Dec, sometimes people find it helpful to have a BHAG to focus on as they go through this'.
"And I thought, 'a BHAG, what are you on about?' He said, 'Yeah, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal'. Not long afterwards, I was in hospital and there was a documentary on about the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge as it was then, and I thought to myself 'Right, if I get to feel well again, that's going to be my BHAG'."
Lt Angiolini spoke of his introduction to the challenge: "I guess the best way to describe it is, I'm a bit of a keeno. I got a message saying 'Hey I heard you're into rowing, I heard there's a chance you might be interested in rowing the Atlantic, are you keen?' I was like 'Yes, absolutely, sign me up'."
Their R45 boat is named Lieutenant Colonel Jane Hunter, in memory of a former Army education and training officer who died in service in 2021.
Flags representing each of the nationalities of the four rowers are also on the back of the 8.5-metre boat.
Lt Angiolini said: "Despite being the only British member, I've got the most Italian name in the world. There is a lot of banter, there is a lot of chance to learn about each other."
Explaining the mindset behind the team's motivation, Maj Lynn told BFBS: "The definition of success for us has never been about getting to Antigua, or the row. It's always been about getting the project to the starting line.
"This is about the experience rather than the positioning in the league table.
"We're going to do this once, there's no need for two ticks in the same box. What we want to do is go and enjoy it."
The team will work in pairs, rowing around the clock in two-hour shifts.
Maj Doyle explained how the team would keep pushing themselves through the journey: "The things that motivate us to keep going – do we have little milestones every week, maybe every Friday night we have a little treat for ourselves, do we have Secret Santa – all these things will keep us motivated and keep us going.
"It's been a steep learning curve, but it's been really enjoyable."
Lt Hunter said: "Over the next few months we're going to be focusing as a team on the team dynamics component as well, the small team dynamics.
"You speak to someone who isn't rowing an ocean, and they’re like 'What are you doing, why are you doing this, are you ok' and you're like 'Maybe I'm not ok, I don't know'."
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