A SCOTTISH adventurer is set to undertake the world’s most difficult and dangerous row, just five months after life-saving heart surgery.
Jamie Douglas-Hamilton will navigate treacherous seas on a 950-mile route between Antarctica and South Georgia in the Atlantic in January in an attempt to raise more than £100,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). He also wants to raise awareness of his campaign to have the Polar Medal awarded to Harry McNish, a carpenter from Port Glasgow who saved the crew of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance voyage in the 1900s
In August, Douglas-Hamilton had open heart surgery at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to repair an aortic valve.
The route will follow that of Shackleton on the James Caird, which McNich built. The relationship between Shackleton and the outspoken McNish, nicknamed Chippy, was difficult and Shackleton denied the rebellious carpenter a Polar Medal which was awarded to individuals for outstanding achievements in the field of Polar research. Believing this to be deeply unjust, seven times Guinness World record holder Douglas-Hamilton is calling for the medal to be awarded posthumously.
The Harry McNish Row will be the first attempt to row across the Scotia Sea, known as the “most dreaded ocean on the planet” due to its wild nature. The crew will be captained by Icelandic explorer Fiann Paul, who captained Douglas-Hamilton’s last expedition in 2019.
On January 10, they will set out unassisted and without wind power following the route that Shackleton’s James Caird boat took from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Shackleton’s main expedition ship, the Endurance, was sunk by pack ice in October 1915.
Douglas-Hamilton said: “None of the crew would have made it back if it was not for Harry McNish. Not only did he build the boat that saved the whole crew with the most limited of tools, he created the crampons for Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley to cross the mountains of South Georgia to the whaling station on the other side.
“When I was a boy I read Endurance, about Shackleton’s rescue voyage when they sailed from Elephant Island to South Georgia in a small lifeboat and I couldn’t believe the hardship they went through.
“I’m excited to be going on this adventure in memory of Harry McNish. We have named our expedition boat Mrs Chippy after his cat who accompanied him on the Endurance.
“Without McNish speaking up to Shackleton on the pack ice the lifeboat hulls would have been irreparably damaged. He was portrayed as a mutineer but was the real hero.
Douglas-Hamilton and his crew’s last expedition saw them row 750 miles from Cape Horn in South America to mainland Antarctica across Drake Passage. On this voyage, Douglas-Hamilton will be the only British member of a team of six who will row in 90-minute shifts around the clock in cold to freezing conditions.
On completion of the row, they will have scooped three world-first records – first to row from the Antarctic continent, first to row the Scotia Sea by human power alone and first to row the Southern Ocean from south to north.
Feeling unwell during early 2022, Douglas-Hamilton was told he had a leaking aortic valve, a hereditary condition requiring immediate open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve in his heart.
He said: “It was a shock when I discovered the issue with my heart and that I needed immediate surgery. I felt as if my life had been turned upside down, however, it turned out to be the biggest blessing. The operation makes you feel like you have been hit by a bus and the recovery takes a long time but I feel so much better now.”
John McNish, Harry McNish’s great-nephew said: “Our family is incredibly touched that Jamie is rowing the treacherous seas my great-uncle sailed in the early 1900s and that the journey will be made in his honour.
“We are incredibly proud of him and we have always believed it to be very unjust that Chippy wasn’t given the Polar Medal. It is very exciting that this expedition, The Harry McNish Row, will highlight just how courageous my great uncle was.”
The crew will set off from Antarctica on January 12 and aim to arrive in South Georgia 16-20 days later. The expedition can be followed through updates on social media @actiphwater.
To donate to the British Heart Foundation appeal visit www.justgiving.com/page/jamie-row-challenge
BHF chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffith said: “Jamie’s attempt to break a world record less than six months after lifesaving heart surgery is truly inspirational. It will be a difficult journey but the whole of the British Heart Foundation will be with him in spirit every step of the way.
Douglas-Hamilton will speak at a fundraising event for the BHF at the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh on Wednesday from 7-9.30pm.
