Well, that’s what Painswick resident Martyn Thornton is planning to do later this year. And it’s not just any old ocean – this is a solo trip of 3000 miles across the Atlantic in a boat specially-made for the purpose.
Martyn will start out in December from the Canary Islands and it’s likely to take him around three months, out on the open sea on his own. If he succeeds, he will be amongst the oldest people ever to achieve such a feat of physical and mental resilience.
And on Sat 19 Sep, his boat is on display in Painswick, at the Falcon Inn. To find out more, visit www.atlanticsolo.co.uk or and from there you can follow Martyn on Facebook or Instagram.
Martyn is raising money for Horseheard which is is a registered charity working with horses to promote positive emotional health and resilience outcomes for children, young people and adults in need. To help with his fundraising, he’s made a bench which was going to form part of our summer exhibition of Sitting Places – now postponed due to the coronavirus crisis. Lovingly crafted in Martyn’s workshop over many months, the bench is a representation of his boat on the high seas. It is made entirely from yew and ash sourced from our Garden and has recently been installed down on the Bowling Green.
Martyn invites you to rest a while and imagine sharing his 3000 mile journey from La Gomera to Antigua. It truly is an example of resilience in adversity to reflect the current times we all find ourselves in.
To support Martyn and learn more about his row visit www.atlanticsolo.co.uk
The bench is available for sale at £5,000 with all proceeds going to fund his row and support Horseheard.