TWO brothers, who grew up in Seaview, are taking on a gruelling 3,000-mile rowing challenge of a lifetime, both to raise cash for a skin cancer charity and awareness of the disease.


Jude Massey, 17, and Dr Greg Bailey, 26, are attempting a new world record for rowing the Atlantic and have launched a campaign to raise £100,000 for the British Skin Foundation.

It is in memory of former Ryde electronics company boss Peter Massey, who was just 63 when he died in 2015 after 16 years of painful treatment.

Peter was Jude’s father and Greg’s stepfather.

Jude and his half brother, who both now live in Lymington, have put a deposit on the specialised trans-Atlantic boat and are lining up corporate sponsorship.

They expect the challenge to cost £90,000 and sell the boat afterwards for £40,000, which will go to the charity.

The marathon is due to start in January 2018 in the Canaries and end in Barbados. 

"It’s a gruelling trip — we’ll be rowing for two hours on and two hours off non-stop both day and night," said Jude.

The brothers have put their lives on hold — Greg as an A&E doctor and Jude as a sailing instructor — to complete the challenge, channelling all their efforts into training and fundraising. 

The pair, who had never rowed before, are aiming to take between six and 11 weeks to complete the journey. 

"If they succeed, Jude is likely to become a record holder as the first vegan to complete this journey, shining the spotlight on endurance events for vegans," said Greg, whose father lives on the Island. 

"The more awareness we can raise, the better for everyone.

& ;quot;There are no words to describe how awful this disease is, both for the sufferer and their family" said Greg. 

To date there have been only 317 successful rowed crossings of the Atlantic.

Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk