Worthing open water swimmers aim to row the Atlantic

Friends Jon E Cassell and Nikki Gatland have to raise £40,000 to take part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge next year, but the aim is to then donate their boat to the Op Surfwell initiative, a new approach to the treatment and support of mental health and wellbeing within the emergency services.

Jon said: “We’re both adventurers who are passionate about the ocean and our planet, using both to help us manage our own personal battles with mental health.

“We’ve never rowed before, perhaps a few pedalo sessions on our summer holidays but that’s about it, so 3,000 miles across the Atlantic is going to be seriously tough. We’re both open water swimmers, so if worst come to the worst, we’ll swim it instead, ha ha!”

The row is scheduled for December 2021 and the first part of Jon and Nikki’s project, A See Change, will be a 16-mile fundraising swim to the Rampion Wind Farm and back.

The pair have been training in the sea for two months and hope to complete the challenge mid-September, weather permitting.

Further challenges will follow for the friends, who are both members of the Tuff Fitty Triathlon Club, based in Littlehampton.

Jon said: “We have partnered with the amazing Op Surfwell, who use the ocean and surfing to support the mental health of our vital emergency services. We’ve seen it in action and the results are staggering.

“Our mission is to raise awareness and financial support to send teams to experience Op Surfwell’s fantastic programme in Cornwall.

“We’re also campaigning for cleaner oceans and raising finance so that we can buy the boat we need to become, hopefully, the fastest mixed duo to cross the Atlantic.

“We need £40,000, which is a big target, however once we’ve completed the race, the boat will also be donated to Op Surfwell, so they can send a team each year. Their response to that proposal was ‘amazing’.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/aseechange for more information and to make a donation.

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