Summit to Sea Challenge

02/03/2026

Feeling generous ? All contributions to the campaign are very welcome, but if you contribute £250 or more you get to have your name on the boat and join Club 250.

Donations can be made here:

I'm a British Mountain Guide based in the French Alps. In January 202… Stuart Macdonald needs your support for Summit to Sea - Stuart's solo transatlantic row

18/02/2026

There are many ways to cross the Atlantic, and I’ve chosen a slightly more challenging route. 

Most people row from the Canaries to the Caribbean. This takes advantage of reliable trade winds and currents to help move people steadily in the right direction. Starting on an island also helps you quickly enter into strong currents. 

But I wanted to do something a little different, so I began looking for routes that haven’t been done as often. I eventually settled on rowing from continental Europe to continental South America, starting in Portugal and finishing in French Guyana.

Starting on the mainland is tricky as you have to fight onshore winds and weaker currents to get into the more favourable seas. The route is also 1000km longer, which could easily take an extra 10-14 days in itself. 

Combine that with the more complex currents on this route, and it's going to be a much tougher experience. Crossing times are generally 50-60% slower than Canaries to the Caribbean.

Will it be more difficult? Yes. But what’s life without a little challenge?

👋 Hi, I’m Stuart, a Chamonix-based mountain guide who is about to swap the high mountains for a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. If you’d like to support my journey, please follow the donation links in my bio.

03/12/2025

I was in UK for the whole of October. The first week I was on the water around Portland with an ocean rowing coach, learning all I could about the boat, the sea and how to look after myself on an ocean.

The second week, I was let loose on my own, with remote supervision from my coach.

The first couple of trips were a little daunting, with less than ideal conditions but my confidence grew, and I undertook a solo five day trip around the south coast.

My body and hands suffered but it was first class training.

The weather then turned as a major storm hit UK, and I was forced off the water.

So it was then back to the boat builders’ yard in Essex to ask lots of questions and tinker with the boat for a week.

This included an electrical management course to teach me how to maximise power generation (through solar panels with batteries) and to how to minimise use when power is getting low - there won’t be a plug or a back-up generator in the Atlantic for me to use.

26/11/2025

Rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean is a personal dream 20 years in the making, but it’s also a chance to fundraise for two causes that mean a lot to me - Pancreatic Cancer UK and The Martin Moran Foundation

I’ll share a bit more about each charity in due course, but for now, if you’d like to donate you can do so via the link in my bio.

🏔 The Martin Moran Foundation is a charity that aims to elevate the lives of young people by offering fully funded mountain experiences for those who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

💙 Pancreatic Cancer UK is transforming the future for pancreatic cancer by funding research breakthroughs, campaigning for changes to treatment and care and supporting people when they need it the most.

Thank you for your support.