FOUR intrepid friends from the Cornish gig-rowing community will row across the Atlantic to raise funds for a young persons’ mental health charity.

The Invictus Atlantic team are aiming to raise £100,000 for the Invictus Trust by taking part in the World's Toughest Row, a gruelling 45-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The quartet comprises close friends with long associations with Cornwall. They are Constantine businessman James Brittain-Long, 59; Paul Hayes, 61, a former Royal Marine Commando and now teacher and school leader from Falmouth; Luke Morgan, 61, a former RNAS Culdrose helicopter pilot and now instructor/examiner; and former Royal Engineer Officer and now global project director, David Radford-Wilson, 58.

They will set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12 and attempt an Atlantic crossing of 3,000 nautical miles to Antigua. It promises to be a gruelling ordeal. 

Each man will row in shifts of two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours a day, for six to seven weeks in waves that can top 40 feet. Together, they will row an estimated total of six million oar strokes during the race. 

The boat is just 8.5 metres long, with two small cabins for sleeping that also house all the navigation and communications equipment. There is no toilet on board, other than a bucket. The team must carry all their own food, provisions and kit, make their own drinking water and accept no outside assistance. 

Skipper James Brittain-Long, a member of the Helford River Gig Club, said: "We are four old friends with deep ties to Cornwall, and this is all about raising money to fund the brilliant work of the Invictus Trust, supporting the mental health of young people in Cornwall.

"We took delivery of our boat at the start of June, and the pub talk really is over as we get down to business and the hard graft of training on land and sea.”

Launched in January 2011 by the Cowburn family from Truro, The Invictus Trust is dedicated to the memory of 18-year-old Ben Cowburn, who took his own life after a period of mental illness.

Ever since, the family has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of adolescent mental health in Cornwall, to provide signposting for those struggling, and to lobby for improved services. Most notably, the trust was instrumental in establishing the first residential adolescent mental health unit in Cornwall, after a seven-year campaign.

In January this year the Invictus Trust invested £100,000 in launching a new pilot counselling service for 11 to 21 year olds in Cornwall in partnership with fellow Cornish mental health charity CLEAR.

The new service received more than 100 referrals in the first eight days of opening and has delivered or scheduled more than 1,000 counselling sessions in its first six months, demonstrating huge demand from young people in Cornwall struggling with poor mental health. The Invictus Atlantic rowing team hopes to raise the £100,000 needed to run the counselling service for a second year.

Sharon Cowburn, who founded the Invictus Trust with husband Steve and daughters Sophia, Amber and Laura, said: "We're thrilled the team has chosen Invictus Trust as their charity. We know that demand for mental health services continues to rise among young people in Cornwall, and we are offering an accessible, bespoke service, so that when a young person, or their parent, reaches out for help via WhatsApp or email, they get a swift personal response.

"If we can show the ongoing value of our dedicated counselling service, we hope it could be permanently funded, supporting thousands of young people and saving families the heartbreak that we still feel every day from the loss of Ben. 

“We wish the Invictus Atlantic team all the best in their huge challenge and hope the people and businesses of Cornwall will get behind them."

The team endeavour is sponsored by Aspects Holidays, Seasalt Clothing, Fourth Element and Mylor Yacht Harbour. 

Mandy Spencer, commercial director of Aspects Holidays in Hayle, said:  “Adolescent mental health is a huge issue, and it's vital young people in Cornwall get the right support at the right time. We wish the crew all the best with their adventure."

The World's Toughest Row is an annual race from La Gomera in the Canaries to Antigua in the Caribbean. This year's race will have the largest ever entry of 44 competing boats.

The average rower can lose up to 12kg during a crossing, burning more than 6,000 calories per day — the equivalent of 26 Mars bars daily. However, the rewards can be magical — in 2018, solo rower Kelda Wood had the company of a whale for nearly a week.

To donate or contact the team about sponsorship, visit invictusatlantic.com/