Solo Atlantic Challenge

Gibraltar – December 2018

After losing his right leg below the knee following an accident on the M3 motorway, Lee believed he would have to redefine who he was “within the parameters of disability”.

Rowing the Atlantic as part of Row2Recovery shifted that belief — and shaped the motivation behind a solo ocean crossing: to demonstrate capability, not limitation, and to challenge how disability is framed in society.

Solo Atlantic Row – Key Stats

• Route: Portimão, Portugal → Cayenne, French Guiana
• Dates: 9 January 2019 → 11 March 2019
• Time: 60 days, 16 hours, 6 minutes
• Distance: 3,176 nautical miles

Preparing to launch

After a sustained period of training and planning, Lee scheduled an initial start date in early 2018.

Shortly before the planned start, Lee’s mother became seriously ill and died, causing the expedition to be postponed.

A further attempt in late 2018 was delayed due to weather conditions. Lee ultimately departed from Portimão, Portugal on 9 January 2019.

60 days of solitude at sea

The crossing required sustained endurance and decision-making over an extended period of isolation. Major challenges during the row included severe weather, illness and equipment failure.

Completion and Record Listings

Lee arrived in the Mahury River near Cayenne, French Guiana on 11 March 2019, completing the row in 60 days, 16 hours and 6 minutes. The previous route benchmark was 96 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes (set by able-bodied Stein Hoff, 2002), which Lee’s time surpassed by roughly 36 days.

Guinness World Records lists this crossing as:

• Fastest solo row from Europe to South America
• First amputee (and physically disabled person) to row an ocean solo, from continent to continent
• Longest solo row by an amputee/physically disabled person (published distance)