Oars in Motion: Greater Boston Veteran’s Inspirational Row Across the Atlantic Begins March 27

Special to the Regional Review

Bryan Fuller, a Greater Boston veteran and rowing record-holder will shove off from a dock in Charlestown in June, with plans to row from Boston to London as part of a team of four on an unsupported journey. He will highlight plans for the trip and answer questions at Cottage Park Yacht Club on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

The crew will depart from a Charlestown dock near the Spaulding Rehab Hospital, heading for another dock near Big Ben in London. The unsupported journey will likely take at least fifty days.

Fuller, 54, is a seasoned adventurer from Brookline, Mass., where he operates Power Rowing, an indoor rowing gym. He brings a wealth of experience, having previously rowed the Atlantic from the other direction, leaving the Canary Islands off of Morocco for the Caribbean. Fuller captured the record as the fastest American to make that more southerly crossing. 

Fuller says he has a keen desire to “do the impossible,” and plans to raise money for the veterans rowing program at Community Rowing in Boston. He credits that program for not only teaching him to row, but also helping him survive his own PTSD.

Joining Fuller are John Lowry, 55, a childhood friend and an orthopedic rehabilitation doctor from Danvers, Mass.; Klara Anstey, 51, a marketing professional and coastal rower from Wales, UK; and Elizabeth Gilmore, 40, a record-holding river rower and indoor rowing world champion from Richmond, VA. Together, they aspire to set a new speed record for the crossing. Their progress will be monitored by the Ocean Rowing Society.

Their vessel is a specially designed, 28-foot ocean rowing boat. It contains two tiny sleeping quarters and will be equipped with essential supplies, including a water desalinator, freeze-dried food, emergency beacons, and advanced communication gear. 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will see the team off and present them with a gift to bring to the Mayor of London, to mark this historic moment.