A former Royal Marine and amputee has completed the fastest unsupported solo row across the Atlantic.
Lee Spencer crossed from mainland Europe to South America in just 60 days, beating the previous record by non-disabled person. Lee bet the record by 36 days.
He has also become the first disabled person to row solo from continent to continent.
Coast to coast
After receiving a goodbye kiss from Joanna Lumley, Lee set off on his 3,800 mile crossing from Portugal on 9 January 2019.
The 49-year-old from Devon served in the Armed Forces for 24 years with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He lost his right leg below the knee in 2014 after he was struck by debris from a car engine.
Lee embarked on the challenge to prove that no one should be defined by disability and that there is life after injury. During his journey Lee has raised almost £55,000 for the Royal Marines Charity and the Endeavour Fund.
Before arriving in Cayenne, French Guiana, on Monday (11 March), Lee faced 40 foot waves and a stomach bug while sleeping for just two hours at a time.
Row2Recovery
The record-breaking trip wasn’t his first. Lee previously rowed across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua in 2016 as part of Row2Recovery.
He completed the 3,000 mile row with three other amputee veterans as part of the Talisker Challenge, described as the world’s toughest row.
The team completed the row in 46 days, coming in fifth out of 26 competing crews.
Follow Advance on Twitter for all the latest news and support.