On January 9, 2019, Lee Spencer, a disabled former Royal Marine, embarked on an extraordinary journey from Portimao, Portugal, in a small rowing boat named Hope. His ambitious goal: to become the fourth person ever to row solo and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean, the first disabled person to achieve this feat, and the fastest to complete the row.

Sixty days, sixteen hours, and six minutes later, Lee arrived at the Mahury River estuary in Cayenne, South America. He not only achieved his goal but shattered the able-bodied record by an astonishing thirty-six days. In doing so, he became the world’s only physically disabled person to break and hold an able-bodied record in an endurance event.

Lee’s journey was driven by a lifelong pursuit of strength and resilience. He dreamed of becoming a Royal Marine, a goal he realized in 1992. After serving in the second Iraq War, he volunteered for Special Duties, passing a rigorous course that only three out of 126 applicants completed. He then served three tours of Afghanistan as an agent handler.

However, his life took a dramatic turn one winter night when he stopped to help at a motorway crash. Struck by debris from another collision, Lee narrowly escaped death. Despite his efforts and those of surgeons, his leg could not be saved.

Undeterred, Lee learned to walk again and went on to row across the Atlantic with the world’s first physically disabled crew of four. Later embarking on his epic solo journey.

In “The Rowing Marine,” Lee shares his unparalleled life story and the extraordinary solo voyage that tested his limits. From his childhood dreams to his service in the Royal Marines and his remarkable recovery from disability, Lee’s story is one of courage, determination, and the unbreakable human spirit.