A disabled Royal Marine just shattered the record for the fastest solo row across the Atlantic — journeying from Portugal to French Guiana in 60 days.
Lee Spencer, 49, notched the stunning accomplishment when he arrived in Cayenne on Monday around 1 p.m. local time, BBC News reported.
He said he wanted to make the roughly 3,800-mile trek to prove “no one should be defined by disability.”
“If I can beat a record, an able-bodied record, as a disabled man … that is the reason why I wanted to do this,” he said.
After having completed three tours in Afghanistan, Spencer lost his right leg below the knee in 2014 when he was hit by flying debris on the M3 in England. He had stopped to help a driver who had crashed.
Spencer set off from Portugal on Jan. 9 but hit a snag early on into his trip, having to stop at the Canary Islands to fix his navigation system.
But he went on to beat the previous record set by Stein Hoff in 2002 by 36 days, and, in doing so, became the first disabled person to row from Europe to South America.
“I have done 24 years as a Royal Marine so I am quite used to hardship,” Spencer said.
The married father of two from Devon in southeast England added that he was “exhausted” and looking forward to cracking open a beer.
During his trip, which raised money for the Royal Marines Charity and Endeavor Fund, Spencer endured 40-foot waves, two hours of sleep at a time and even a stomach flu.
He also witnessed marine wildlife up close, including whales, dolphins and turtles.
Spencer’s trip garnered support from Prince Harry and even England national soccer manager Gareth Southgate, who sent him a personal video midway through, saying, “we’re all very proud of what you’re doing.”
“I got told about the video … and it was one of the first things I watched when I got a signal,” Spencer said.
