Heroic rowing hunk needs your help to conquer the Atlantic Ocean

Lightning, tsunamis, rogue whales, shark attacks, tennis ball sized blisters, hallucinations: this is just some of the shit you have to put up with if you want to row across the Atlantic Ocean.

All of this and more confronted Jay Olenicz, a second year physicist at Bristol, as he prepared to row the 3000 mile distance with his friend Ross Macleod for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

The mammoth undertaking would’ve seen the pair rowing from the Canary Islands to Antigua in around 50 days. If everything went to plan they’d have raised over £100,000 for charity and been the youngest and fastest rowers ever to beat the Atlantic.

Now due to unforeseen circumstances Ross has dropped out and Jay, 20, faces a new challenge: loneliness.

Unless he finds a new partner by the August 15th entry fee deadline Jay’s dreams will be shattered and he’ll have taken a year out from his studies at Bristol for nothing more than a much higher level of personal fitness.

He told The Tab: “I can’t do this on my own – and not just because I’m a people person – I need somebody to drop everything to make this happen.

“I know it’s a long-shot but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If we do this nobody will be able to take it away from us. More people have climbed Mount Everest or travelled into space than have rowed the Atlantic Ocean.

“I’m offering you a shot at immortality.”

Jay will need a partner with a high base level of athleticism, a positive attitude and a level of mental and physical determination to make Sir Steve Redgrave blush.

If you join him you’ll also have to put up with eating weird 6000 calorie dehydrated food sachets on a daily basis:

“You add hot water to the sachet and it just sort of turns into food, purely meant for energy. You burn all your fat very soon into the journey before you start burning muscle as an alternative, so we’ll have to massively bulk up before we go.”

His new partner doesn’t really have to be toilet trained though – over the course of the potentially 90 day journey you’ll be going back to basics:

“We’ll just do it in buckets and chuck it over the side. The one thing you’ve got to remember is to fill the bucket with a little bit of water before you go to help reduce skid marks.”

Of course the task ahead isn’t all about pooing or personal glory. Jay is supporting three worthy causes close to his heart. Brace, a charity supporting Alzheimer’s treatment, Julia’s House, a children’s hospice and Refuge, a charity supporting female and domestic violence.

Jay needs you on board before the 15th August to prepare for fifty foot waves, hurricanes, near starvation and the greatest physical feat of your life in December when the challenge begins.

If you want to help Jay contact him through his email address [email protected] or visit his website.