First rowing attempt on North Pole

Brits aim for world first on Arctic paddle

A group of intrepid rowers are planning the first attempt of rowing to the North Pole.

Jock Wishart, from Surrey, and his team aim to row 450 miles across the Arctic sea to the Geomagnetic North Pole fighting against time.

They will need to time the final section of their arduous journey to coincide with the few weeks a year the area it is navigable before it refreezes.

Wishart’s team will set off on their adventure during July and carry on into August. He will row with his five-strong crew, braving conditions many couldn’t even dream of.

During their journey, which will last between four and six weeks, the team will encounter shifting ice and the daunting prospect of hauling their specially constructed boat over the ice to complete their challenge.

The expedition will link up with scientific partners to deliver environmental data from the trip.

Wishart, from Kingston-upon-Thames, said: "A few years ago, a good rowing friend joked that a row to the pole would be the ultimate challenge for someone like me, who is passionate about both polar exploration and boating.

"It's therefore incredible for me, after three years of planning, to be unveiling this expedition and to begin the intense process of work and training that now lies before us to prepare for what will be the greatest challenge of my life."

The explorer has led teams which established a series of new world records for powered circumnavigation of the globe by boat and broke the London to Paris rowing record in 1999.

Mr Wishart was also part of the first team to walk unsupported to the Geomagnetic North Pole in 1992.