From Erg to Ocean

By Matt Bishop – 1st Mate, Team Nautilus, GB Row Challenge 

Team Nautilus has one goal in 2026: to complete the GB Row Challenge, a 2,000-mile unsupported row around Great Britain. Achieving it requires far more than time on the water. Each of us spends countless hours training indoors on the Concept2 RowErg, building the stamina, consistency, and resilience that will carry us through the race. It is demanding and repetitive, but essential. When we launch in June, the work we do now will be the foundation that keeps us moving.

The Challenge

In June 2026, I will be 1st Mate in Team Nautilus, a mixed crew of six amateurs who have signed up for one of the toughest endurance events on the planet. The GB Row Challenge demands physical strength, precise nautical navigation, mental toughness, and a lot of rowing.

Alongside tackling some of the world’s most unpredictable tidal systems, we will also collect open access scientific data on microplastics, biodiversity and ocean conditions to support UK marine conservation.

The race began in 2005 when a crew of four completed the first unsupported circumnavigation of Great Britain after being told it was impossible. Since then, teams from around the world have attempted to match or beat their achievement. Some succeed, some do not, but all chase the same goal.

Our crew brings a mix of motivations and backgrounds. A skipper with unfinished business. Sustainability consultants on the lookout for adventure. A paramedic searching for something extraordinary. An army veteran driven by the pursuit of testing personal limits. And me, ready to push myself further than ever before and contribute to valuable scientific research.

But this is not like other ocean races. We cannot touch land or stop for supplies. There is no support vessel. For the entire journey we are self-sufficient, six people in a rowing boat carrying everything we need.

Why This Race Is Different

The British Isles sit in one of the most challenging maritime zones on Earth. Massive tidal forces shift trillions of litres of water every six hours, charging through the Channel, the Irish Sea, and around the northern headlands into the North Sea.

Tidal streams can reach 10 knots, creating violent races at narrow channels and exposed headlands. One mistake can leave a boat pinned, fighting to recover from one wave before the next arrives.

When wind turns against tide, the sea becomes unpredictable and vicious. Swells steepen, fold and break heavily. Nature does not forgive mistakes out here. It punishes them.

This is why the GB Row Challenge is known as the toughest rowing race in the world. The constantly shifting tides and winds require a level of endurance and adaptability far beyond most transoceanic challenges. It is also why the Concept2 RowErg forms such a major part of our preparation. Without long hours on the Erg, our bodies would not withstand the demands of rowing two hours on, two hours off, around the clock.

The Environment Mission

The GB Row Challenge has a four-year partnership with the University of Portsmouth focused on gathering meaningful and scalable data to help understand the health of marine ecosystems.

As part of the project, we will collect microplastics, environmental DNA, underwater noise data, biodiversity indicators, and continuous salinity and temperature measurements. These findings support peer reviewed scientific research and help build a picture of what is happening beneath the surface around the British Isles.

Our boat, Rossiter Ocean 3, carries specialist monitoring equipment, including:

A microplastics filtration system that processes 210 litres of seawater per day. A system for gathering environmental DNA to map everything from fish to marine mammals. Underwater acoustic sensors inside the rudder, recording both shipping noise and natural marine sound. Continuous monitors tracking salinity and temperature changes.

At a time when biodiversity and climate pressures are growing, every stroke contributes to a better understanding of our coastal waters.

The Plan

There is a plan, but it changes frequently. Balancing training with work and family life is difficult, though our employers have been supportive. My holiday balance for 2026 currently sits at minus ten days.

Our preparation includes:

Offshore rowing skills. Two-hour rowing shifts through the night. Sleep deprivation training. Navigation and tidal planning. Emergency response practice. Living, cooking and even toilet training aboard a ten metre by two metre boat. And securing sponsorship.

We will leave St Katharine Docks in London in June 2026, choosing to head north or south depending on conditions. Some days we will row hard just to hold position. Other days we will hug the coast or cross shipping lanes to take advantage of favourable tides.

Certain navigation points, such as the crossing from southwest England toward Ireland, require a full commitment once started. Turning back is not an option and could cost days of progress.

Top row (L-R): Crew Kit Nelson, Crew Becky Rob, Crew Becky Parker

Bottom row (L-R): Second Mate Kenza Thomas, First Mate Matt Bishop (author), Skipper Aoife Luscombe  

The Concept2 Connection

Much of our readiness comes from the hours spent on the RowErg. It allows us to train consistently, measure performance, and stay aligned as a crew even when we are scattered across the country. Connected to the Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) and the ErgData app, we can share sessions, compare splits, and keep each other accountable.

Ocean rowing feels nothing like rowing on land. The boat pitches, yaws, and shifts constantly. Loads become uneven and the strain on the body is unpredictable. But without long structured sessions on the Erg to build our base fitness, we would not cope with the demands of the ocean.

Concept2 is already the Official Training Partner of Atlantic rowing. It makes sense for that relationship to extend to the toughest rowing race in the world, the GB Row Challenge.

To keep up to date with our progress and to offer support, please visit our website: nautilusrowing.co.uk