A GUINNESS World Record holder is attempting to write his name into the record books again – less than six months after undergoing open heart surgery.
Jamie Douglas-Hamilton is part of a six-strong crew attempting to row 950 miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean in the New Year.
The challenge would be daunting enough, as the crew follows the route of Shackleton’s James Caird boat, but Jamie underwent major surgery in August.
He has vowed to raise more than £100,000 for the British Heart Foundation during the expedition in honour of his experience and the care and support he received at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The 41-year-old said: “It was a shock to me when I discovered the issue with my heart and that I needed immediate open heart surgery.
“I felt as if my life had been turned upside down; however, it turned out to be the biggest blessing of my life.
“The operation makes you feel like you have been hit by a bus and the recovery takes a long time but I feel so much better now and my fitness levels are increasing.”
Jamie (pictured above), of North Berwick, is the only British member in the team, who will row in 90-minute shifts around the clock, with little to no sleep for 24 hours a day for about three weeks in cold to freezing conditions.
On completion of the row, the crew will have scooped three world-first records – the first to row from the Antarctic continent, first to row the Scotia Sea by human power alone, and first to row the Southern Ocean from south to north.
The former Belhaven Hill School pupil - who previously was part of a team who rowed from Chile to Antarctica in 2019 - will jet off from Edinburgh Airport on January 2 to meet his crew in Ushuaia, Argentina.
They will set off from Antarctica on January 12 and aim to arrive in South Georgia 16-20 days later.
READ MORE: North Berwick man completes amazing row to Antarctica
Vincenzo Giordano, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Capital hospital, was “pleasantly confident” that Jamie would succeed based on his clinical progress.
He said: “Jamie is one of the youngest and fittest patients I’ve operated on.
“Extremely ambitious and determined, he has been through an exceedingly challenging clinical journey.”
Named The Harry McNish Row, the voyage will follow the route sailed by the James Caird, which was built by Harry McNish and which ultimately saved Shackleton and his crew after their main expedition ship, the Endurance, was sunk by pack ice in October 1915.
The Scotia Sea is considered the most dangerous ocean crossing in the world, extending from Drake Passage to South Georgia.
The relationship between Shackleton and the outspoken McNish was difficult and Shackleton awarded almost all of the team the Polar Medal, excluding McNish.
Believing this to be a great injustice, Jamie is calling out for the Polar Medal to be awarded to Harry McNish’s family posthumously.
'The real hero'
Jamie, who is the grandson of Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and commander of 602 City of Glasgow Squadron – the first person to fly over the summit of Mount Everest in 1933 in an open cockpit biplane, said: “None of the crew would have made it back if it was not for Harry McNish.
“Not only did he build the boat that saved the whole crew with the most limited of tools, but he created the crampons for Shackleton, Crean and Worsley to cross the mountains of South Georgia to the whaling station on the other side.
“Without McNish speaking up to Shackleton on the pack ice, the lifeboat hulls would have been irreparably damaged.
“He was portrayed as a mutineer but was the real hero.”
In 2014, Jamie was part of a team who set two Guinness World Records by rowing 5,000 miles across the Indian Ocean, all the way from Australia to Africa.
READ MORE: Jamie completes epic ocean row
Jamie founded his water company, ACTIPH Water, following the expedition as he discovered that high pH alkaline water offered greater hydration to high-performing athletes.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, wished the crew well.
She said: “Jamie’s attempt to break world record attempts less than six months after lifesaving heart surgery is truly inspirational.
“It will be a difficult journey but the whole of the British Heart Foundation will be with him in spirit every step of the way., Go to justgiving.com/page/jamie-row-challenge to make a donation.
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