Angus Collins has already proven himself on some of the toughest waters on Earth. With five world records to his name, including successful rows across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, he’s no stranger to endurance. But this summer, he’s setting his sights on a new kind of challenge—one that hugs the coastline of his home country and carries a very different kind of weight. Starting in June, Collins plans to become the first person to row solo and unsupported around mainland Great Britain in under 60 days. It’s a 2,000-mile route that’s never been completed by a solo rower without support, and he knows it’s going to push him to the edge.
But this isn’t just about testing his physical limits. Collins is rowing to raise money for James’ Place, a charity that offers free, life-saving therapy to men in suicidal crisis. He’s hoping to raise £250,000, which could fund treatment for around 140 men. It’s a cause that’s deeply personal. On his 30th birthday, Collins attempted to take his own life. He later told The Times that he “saw no way things would get better” and thought the only way out was to end everything. What saved him, he says, was a combination of therapy, medication, and finally opening up to the people around him. He now wants to make sure other men don’t have to reach the same breaking point before they get help.
The boat built for British waters
Ocean rowing boats are usually built to ride out big swells and survive on open seas. But Britain’s coastline poses a very different challenge. Collins will have to contend with tight tidal windows, strong headwinds, narrow gaps between cliffs, and busy shipping lanes. To handle it, he’s had a custom boat built by naval architects Owen Clarke and Martin Ross. It weighs just 89 kilograms—lighter than most boats of its kind—and was crafted in Cornwall using recycled carbon, flax, and even plastic bottles. The aim was to build something light, fast, and capable of taking on the unpredictable conditions around the British Isles, according to British Marine.
Collins will carry everything he needs with him from day one. That includes a desalination unit for drinking water, satellite communications, safety gear, a sleeping area, and enough freeze-dried food to get him through the two-month journey. He’s aiming for 18-hour days, broken into eight hours of rowing, four hours of rest, then repeat. He’s also bringing Haribo—his go-to quick-fix for sugar and morale during long stretches of ocean rowing. There’ll be no resupplies, no stepping ashore, and no outside assistance. If he runs into trouble, it’s up to him to get through it or call for rescue.
A route lined with danger
While the challenge might sound romantic—rowing around the UK with nothing but the sea breeze and your thoughts—it’s anything but. He’ll be navigating through Portland Race, a notorious stretch of water off the Dorset coast where strong tides and shifting sandbanks have sunk countless vessels. Further north, near the island of Jura, he’ll face the Corryvreckan whirlpool, which produces some of the most violent water in Europe. In the wrong conditions, the waves there can reach nine metres high. Both locations have a reputation for being unpredictable and deadly, and Collins will be tackling them entirely alone, as noted in Portsmouth News.
He knows the dangers. Only seven people have ever attempted to row solo and unsupported around Britain—and none have succeeded. But Collins believes his combination of experience, planning, and the right boat gives him a real shot. He’s spent years learning how to read tides, interpret weather data, and manage sleep deprivation. He’s also working with a positive psychology coach to stay mentally sharp throughout the trip. He’s said he expects to feel lonely and exhausted, but he’s equally prepared for moments of clarity, peace, and reflection. This isn’t just a physical trial—it’s a psychological one too.
More than sport: a mission to save lives
What makes this row so remarkable is that it’s not just about breaking a record. Collins is using the challenge to open up conversations about men’s mental health and raise awareness for the support that’s available. Every pound he raises goes directly to James’ Place, which offers free therapy for men in suicidal crisis. It’s a charity that was born out of tragedy—after 21-year-old James Wentworth-Stanley took his own life, his parents founded the organisation to make sure other families didn’t have to go through the same loss. You can read more about the charity’s story at James’ Place.
Collins is speaking in schools and workplaces, encouraging men to ask for help before they hit rock bottom. He’s talked openly about the pressures he felt before his suicide attempt—the sense of needing to appear “fine,” the fear of looking weak, the feeling that asking for help would somehow be a failure. He wants to dismantle that narrative. If someone as physically tough and outwardly successful as him could end up feeling hopeless, then clearly there’s no single “type” of man who’s affected by this. As he puts it, “If one person hears this story and it makes them reach out, then every mile will have been worth it.”
A family shaped by water, and by resilience
Collins’s passion for the water runs in the family. He was born in Guam to scuba-diving parents and spent his early life around boats. His grandfather was a world champion sailor, and his sister Bella has rowed across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It’s safe to say that endurance runs in their blood. But while the physical achievements are impressive, what stands out most is the emotional resilience Collins has built in recent years. He’s trained his body for years, but just as importantly, he’s spent the last five years training his mind.
He’s become an advocate not just for therapy, but for emotional literacy. He journals regularly, tracks his mood, and works with a coach to help him identify and work through difficult feelings. It’s not something you’d necessarily expect from someone about to row thousands of miles in freezing seas—but that’s the point. He wants to show that emotional intelligence and physical strength aren’t opposites. They’re both necessary, and both worth investing in.
The journey ahead, and how to follow it
Collins plans to launch in early June, and supporters can follow his progress via his campaign site, Great British Odyssey. You’ll be able to track his route in real time, see photos and videos from the boat, and hear regular updates on how he’s holding up. All donations go through his JustGiving page, which already shows support from hundreds of backers. He’s passed the £60k mark and is steadily building momentum, stroke by stroke.
Whether he completes the row in 45 days or hits storm delays and finishes closer to 60, Collins has already done something remarkable. He’s taken one of the lowest moments of his life and turned it into a mission. He’s proving that vulnerability is strength, and that endurance isn’t just measured in miles—it’s measured in honesty, connection, and the willingness to keep going.
If this row changes one person’s life, he says, it will have been worth it. But from the sounds of it, it already has.