Brothers to row the Atlantic in memory of father

Greg Bailey, 27, and Jude Bailey, 18, are taking on the epic challenge on January 15, which is expected to take ten to 12 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

They will set off from Gran Canaria and will row 3,000 miles to Barbados, day and night, swapping for one-hour shifts, to raise money for The British Skin Foundation.

They have a £100,000 target and have already raised £60,000, with help from sponsors who include famous British adventurer Bear Grylls.

The trip costs £70,000, but donations from sponsors have paid for this.

The Weald Theatre Group, based in Haywards Heath, have chosen the Ocean Brothers to be one of their chosen charities to benefit from the proceeds of their panto, Aladdin.

The group is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and in this time they have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.

The show runs from January 9, to January 13, at Clair Hall in Haywards Heath.

Greg and Jude’s grandma, Anne Skinner, 70, who lives in Lindfield with her husband Ron, said she is ‘very proud’ of her grandsons.

“I am very proud but terrifed at the same time!” she said.

“We have just been on holiday to the Caribbean so this really brought it home with what they are doing. They are going to be on their own in the Atlantic Ocean. Jude, at 18, will be the youngest person to do this.”

Greg, a junior doctor, who lives in Lymington, Hampshire, came up with the idea and his brother Jude was quick to jump on board.

He said: “It was time to do something to bring the family together after a year of grief and depression and for a positive change.

“And if we can demonstrate that people can be safe in their skin in the sun, then anyone can be. The support we have had and donations has been so overwhelming.

“We started planning the trip with one small piece of paper with not much written on it. We have gone through a lot of training and preparation. We are feeling confident but nervous at the same time.”

Jude, a sailing instructor, who also lives in Lymington, said he is ‘excited’ about the challenge.

“I am more excited than nervous,” he said.

“The training is hard, we have been rowing for two to three months, but it feels great what we are doing and it is exciting.”

Greg and Jude’s late father and stepfather Pete Massey passed away in August 2015, when Jude was 16, after a 16-year battle with skin cancer.

One year later the pair made the decision to cross the second largest ocean in the world.

A keen fisherman and windsurfer in his twenties and thirties, Pete bought his own Boston Whaler and enjoyed travelling around the Solent, taking friends out on his boat.

He had an affinity with the sea and was an adventurer who lived life to the full.

Greg and Jude now want to educate those on how to prevent skin cancer, and how to spot it quickly, and raise vital funds for skin cancer research.

Three hundred and seventeen crews have successfully crossed the Atlantic and 153 have been unsuccessful.

During the challenge Greg and Jude will not have a support boat and will eat rehydrated food made with water heated by a solar powered water heater.

People can track their journey by visiting their website: www.oceanbrothers.co.uk.