Lincolnshire daredevils to row across Atlantic Ocean

Two friends from Lincolnshire are embarking on a dangerous charity challenge which will see them row unaided across the Atlantic Ocean for 3,000 miles.

Chris Ambler and close friend Kip Wells, both 35, will be taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge which sees 30 teams row across the Atlantic Ocean without help.

The route will see the duo row from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

The challenge, organised by Atlantic Campaigns, which requires Chris and Kip to be self-sufficient throughout.

They will have to navigate themselves, make their own food and drink, repair any damage to the boat and keep communications with the international coastguards as they progress.

The boat they will be using for the challenge. | Photo: Chris Ambler

Standing in their way will be waves up to 40ft high, marine life, extreme spates of hot and cold weather, and even a few Atlantic storms if they get unlucky with forecasts.

Chris and Kip will set off on their mission from La Gomera in December 2025, and are now fundraising in aid of the Jon Egging Trust – a charity supporting vulnerable young people in getting their lives back on track.

The Jon Egging Trust has strong ties to St George’s Academy in Sleaford, where Chris and Kip met as children, which prompted them to do this charity mission in its aid.

A GoFundMe page for the challenge is already standing at almost £2,500 at the time of reporting, and you can contribute by visiting the page here.

They are close friends from school days, and are now embarking on a terrifying but inspiring challenge for a very good cause. | Photo: Chris Ambler

Chris, who works for TotalEnergies in Tanzania, told The Lincolnite that his thrill-seeking nature and desire for adventure inspired him to take on the Atlantic challenge.

He describes himself as someone who is into “the wilderness, pain, speed and adventure”, so feels he is well-equipped to take on a challenge of this magnitude.

“I really enjoy adventure, when Kip came to me with this row, I saw it and have huge respect for everyone that has attempted it, so I wanted to be a part of that exclusive club!

“It is a club more exclusive than the Everest summiteers club!

“I thrive in the dark shadows of pain, when that thought of stopping enters my head, that’s when I wake up. It’s me vs me and I enjoy pushing myself.”

They have been training hard. | Photo: Chris Ambler

Kip, an Air and Space Operations Specialist at RAF Waddington, has said he is “relishing the challenge that lays ahead”, and is looking forward to pushing himself physically and mentally.

“It’s an opportunity to really test ourselves against an uncontrollable. All we can do is train and learn how to operate the boat as best we can, the rest is up to the weather and some luck!

“Chris and I have been friends for over 20 years and have always been inspired by a challenge.

“The fact I get to share this journey with him makes it all the more exciting and makes us more competitive as a team.”

Their goals are ambitious – Chris doesn’t just want to finish the challenge, but complete it in a record time.

The current world record is 37 days, seven hours and 44 minutes for men’s pairs, which he describes as “naturally our target.”

To do this, they will have to row two hours on, two hours off for 24 hours a day, with your two hours off the only chance to rest and recuperate.

| Photo: Chris Ambler

Chris added: “The average time for men’s pairs is 45-50 days. The world record has to be our target.

“However, it is hugely dependent on the weather, the currents, the storms, our sea bellies, and training – as well as a bit of luck!

“We are only this far because of the support that we have received so far.

“Like an F1 driver, we are only the two human inserts in the boat – a boat that requires a full team to build, maintain, repair, stock and move. The team is much much bigger than just us.”

To put the challenge into context, there have been 938 attempts to row an ocean since the first attempt in 1896, and 282 have been unsuccessful.

This means that nearly five times as many people have successfully summited Mount Everest than have even attempted to row an ocean.

For more information on the race, visit the Force Horizon website.

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