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When Adam Ratcliffe quit his corporate job three years ago to become a full-time “adventurer,” he never pictured rowing 3,500 nautical miles across one of the world’s most hazardous oceans – especially with three ex-Royal Marines and on a boat once lost at sea.
Their mission is to break the world record of rowing across the North Atlantic, to push their personal limits and to raise awareness about veterans’ mental health.
The four-man, all-British “Team United We Conquer” plans to depart from Liberty Landing, New Jersey, on Thursday and race to make it to the British Isles of Scilly in under 43 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Ratcliffe and teammate Jack Jarvis explained their goal is to raise £50,000 (approximately $67,158) for Head Up, a mental health charity benefiting the British armed forces community.
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“Team United We Conquer” members Adam Ratcliffe, Jack Jarvis, David “Brucey” Bruce and Sam “Nutty” Edwards prepare to row across the North Atlantic from New York City. (Adam Ratcliffe)
Jarvis, a 12-year British army veteran who holds the world record for solo rowing across the Atlantic in 111 days, said this next venture comes just months after he left military service in February. Since returning to civilian life, Jarvis said he has experienced feelings of a “lack of purpose,” but he joked that he doubts he will feel the sense of isolation common among veterans. After all, he will be traveling on a seven-meter boat with “three other hairy men” for more than 40 days.
“Doing something like this has really given me that purpose, you know, that meaning, that I’m doing something worthwhile with my time and actually going out there and making a difference,” Jarvis told Fox News Digital. “And yeah, we’re very close now, but after 40 days of living on top of each other, ask that question at the end…. But no, I’m sure the best friendships are forged in the fire.”
By contrast, Ratcliffe, the only member of the crew without military experience, left his corporate job as an engineer to pursue creating adventure content on YouTube full-time. He said he could return to the corporate world after his sabbatical, “but realistically, when I’m on my deathbed at 90 years old, what would I consider the least cowardice decision and the best decision for my life to be?”
By signing onto this trip, he said he wants to spread the message to anyone, veteran or non-veteran, who struggles with mental health that “they have the autonomy to change their environment and influence the way that they interact with the world, even when you feel like you can’t, or you’re just floating in the middle of an ocean.”
“This charity exemplifies taking back a bit of control and just focusing on what you can do, you know, eat in the right way, get some exercise, socializing,” Ratcliffe said. “All that matters is you can just take back some of that power and start building momentum in your own life again. And that message obviously is shared advice, whether you’ve served in the armed forces or not.”
Jack Jarvis and other members of “Team United We Stand” row in New York harbor while preparing for their North Atlantic trek. (Adam Ratcliffe)
Ratcliffe and Jarvis will be joined by Royal Marines veterans David “Brucey” Bruce and Sam “Nutty” Edwards as they work to bring the boat once abandoned off the coast of Africa in the Canary Islands all the way home to the U.K. The boat floated over 11 months all the way across to the Caribbean. The team found it and fixed it up in the Bahamas and rowed the boat to mainland Florida. Now in New York, their next trek does not come without considerable risk.
While there have been hundreds of successful expeditions across the Mid-Atlantic, the North Atlantic is less frequently traversed by solo ocean rowers and teams. Ratcliffe and Jarvis noted people have died attempting this route.
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“Why am I risking my life when I don’t need to? I think I long for that sense of meaning, about why I joined the military, so if I can channel that into doing something amazing and raise a load of money to help, to help veterans and serving members of the armed forces, you know, why not when I’m physically capable and able?” Jarvis said. “Just because I’m not working a corporate job, is that what I should be doing? Yeah, I’m running my own race, living my own life, so that’s why I do it.”
“This challenge has put death into perspective for me as well, but the reason that I signed on and I’m taking these decisions in my life is I don’t want to leave lots of space on the table in terms of fulfilling my potential,” Ratcliffe added.
Once reaching the Isles of Scilly, they plan to continue to Northampton, England, where they will end their journey together.
The current world record holders for the fastest four-person west to east row across the North Atlantic are Leven Brown, Don Lennox, Ray Carroll and Livar Nysted. They completed the row from Battery Park, New York, to the Isles of Scilly on June 17, 2010.
More than a decade later, Jarvis told Fox News Digital his team plans to use Elon Musk’s Starlink technology once a day and hopefully interview with the media at the half-way point. Even so, he joked the challenge will help beat phone addiction.
“A great way, if you’re addicted to being online, is to go and row an ocean, because you don’t have time to check TikTok and Instagram,” Jarvis said.
Ratcliffe said supporters can track their location on Garmin and send donations to Head Up through the website, www.teamunitedwithconquer.com.
“Team United We Conquer” members Adam Ratcliffe, Jack Jarvis, David “Brucey” Bruce and Sam “Nutty” Edwards row in New York before attempting to cross the North Atlantic. (Adam Ratcliffe)
Ratcliffe and Jarvis both shared lessons they’ve learned in overcoming adversity, encouraging others to pursue the true version of themselves, whether in big or small ways.
“I think adversity is inevitable – no matter who you are, every single human, basically, adversity that feels like it’s stretching them, and whether you’re fighting in a war or just fighting the battle to get out of bed in the morning, that can feel insurmountable for whoever you are on a personal basis,” Ratcliffe said.
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“Adversity can be anything from rowing the Atlantic to just getting up and working a 12-hour shift that you might hate, but you have to do it to support your family,” Jarvis said, explaining that crossing the North Atlantic sounds overwhelming, but less so if you focus on just the next rowing shift or the next coffee break. “Break it down, not let yourself go overwhelmed and just focus on the next step forward.”