Royal Marines prepare for ‘world’s most dangerous’ row from New York to London

A team of Marine Commandos are to take on a death-defying record-breaking challenge which will see them rowing from New York to London.

The four Marines, who are part of the OCEAN REVIVAL 2020 team, will attempt the feat in May over a period of 60 days as they aim to go down in the history books as the first team to row between New York and London.

The group are taking on the challenge to raise awareness of the amount of plastic in our oceans and also to raise funds for the Royal Marines Family.

The team’s plans to row across the North Atlantic Ocean is a feat that only 57 people in history have achieved. 

The crossing has been attempted a total of 72 times, 6 rowers have died, with 29 successes and over 43 failures. 

The hardy Marines are Dom Rogers, Joel McGlynn, Ian Clinton and Matt Mason.

The foursome will have a relentless rowing routine of two hours rowing and two hours resting for up to 60 days.

They will also have to contend with the extremes of the North Atlantic, including its unpredictable weather systems, sea sickness and sleep deprivation.   

To date the crew has raised £45,000 for two charities, Plastic Oceans UK and The Royal Marines Charity.

The crossing has been attempted a total of 72 times, 6 rowers have died, with 29 successes and over 43 failures. No one has successfully rowed the New York to London route

Plastic Oceans UK created the film A Plastic Ocean, to raise awareness of the plastic pollution issue. The foundation has developed 3 pillars of identity: science, sustainability and education programmes. 

The Royal Marines Charity seeks to help the wounded and injured, supports individual serving and retired Royal Marines and helps those serving and facing successive tours in high threat environments by providing adventure training for those returning from operations, funding homecoming events, financing memorials and maintaining their heritage.  

Matt Mason is a serving Royal Marine Commando who has completed three tours of Afghanistan, Counter Piracy and Narcotic Operations in the Middle East, as well as training multiple foreign forces around both Africa and the Gulf. 

Matt is no stranger to challenges and completed a Mid Atlantic Ocean row in 2014, in a time of 32 days and 22 hours, a world record speed for the fastest 8-man crew to row an ocean.  

Dad-of-one Matt lives with his wife Lindsay and son Harry in North Devon.  

The other three crew members are former marines. Joel McGlynn is a former Royal Marine Commando who served in Afghanistan with Matt, Ian and Dom.

Joel who works for Northumbrian Water is from the North East and passionate about the region. 

The boat the crew will use that they hope will propel them into the record books

After recently completing the Welsh IronMan for the first time, he hopes to qualify for the IronMan World Championships next year. 

Joel is father to daughter Honey.    

Father-of-two Dom Rogers is a former Royal Marine Commando who completed a tour of Afghanistan, along with an Arctic Warfare Survival Package and numerous Mountain training packages in his 5 years of service.

He is now a Project Manager for an Industrial Resin Flooring Company.

He has most recently completed canoeing the Great Glen Coe canoe trail, from Fort William to the end of the Loch Ness, in Inverness. 

The foursome will have a relentless rowing routine of two hours rowing and two hours resting

Dom is married to Hannah and has two young boys, Oliver and Cameron.  

Ian Clinton, is from the North East of England and is a former Royal Marine Commando who served in 45 commando alongside Matt, Joel and Dom. 

Ian has worked as a maritime security consultant on anti-piracy in the Somali Basin and the Indian Ocean. He now works as an offshore NDT technician.

Over the last year he has completed a trek to Everest Base Camp, cycled 1000 miles around South Korea and undertaken a 100 mile kayak expedition in the Philippines.

Ian achieved first place in his first 50-mile ultra marathon last year. He lives in the North East of England with his girlfriend Hannah.