Local boy and serving marine Sam ‘Nutty’ Edwards has completed the mammoth challenge of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with three teammates, raising more than £100,000 for military mental health charity, Head Up.

Edwards, raised in Bittaford, joined Adam Radcliffe, Jack Jarvis and David Bruce to form United We Conquer. After 56 gruelling days at sea, the team arrived in Southampton on 15 August, cheered in by supporters and loved ones.

The four set off from Manhattan on 16 June in Endurance, a boat with its own history. The vessel had been abandoned mid-crossing and later recovered in the Bahamas, before being offered to Bruce by Chris Martin, founder of New Ocean Wave. Edwards and Bruce had previously rowed Endurance across the Atlantic in 2022 with fellow veterans, raising money for the Cockleshell Endeavour Foundation and the Royal Marines Charity Fund.

Training together for six months, the crew prepared for the 3,000-mile expedition. But as Edwards explained, experience was as important as fitness: “For me, it was more about understanding the boat itself and how to fix things rather than the training. As a marine and having done a row before, I knew what to expect.”

That experience proved vital when disaster struck. “We capsized on Day 8,” Edwards recalls. “I was in the cabin and then it flipped and water started pouring in, which was pretty scary, but it flipped back over as it’s designed to. It happened very quickly.”

The crew endured Storm Andrea, with waves reaching 20ft, and equipment failures that forced them into silence. “Our speaker broke on Day 12, and there’s only so much talking you can do, so we were often left deep in our own thoughts,” Edwards said.

Yet despite setbacks, the team set a world record, covering 140 nautical miles in 24 hours and surpassing the previous mark of 116. Viral videos documenting their journey boosted donations, helping them smash their fundraising target.

“We set off when we had a window of good weather, but once you’re out there, you are at the mercy of it,” Edwards explained. “We had to stop a few times because of bad weather, which is frustrating not going anywhere.”

For Edwards, the voyage was both punishing and peaceful. “The highlight for me was being with my mates, the camaraderie. It was hairy,” he laughed, “but it was lovely. It’s a very peaceful place and you learn a lot about your own strength.”

The JustGiving fundraiser is still up and running as support for the four men, and their chosen charity, continues to pour in. “There is lots of suicide in veterans, and by giving people the tools to fix themselves, it saves a lot of heartache,” Edwards said. “I’m very grateful for everyone who has donated. And thank you to everyone who shared, liked and followed – I’m glad people could join us and hopefully we have helped make a difference.”

United We Conquer completed their 3,000 mile row across the Atlantic on Friday 15 August, arriving into Southhampton to a rally of supporters and loved ones. They enjoyed a few days ‘rest’ - involving light exercise and swimming to aid recovery, but made assurances it won’t be long until each of the men are back to something exciting and inevitably Herculean.