L-R: Will Turnage, William de Laszlo and Jim Bastin in 2005. They set a new world record by becoming the first people ever to row non-stop around mainland Britain.

Our race is organised by rowers who have been there themselves, meaning GB Row’s priority is to ensure teams have an enjoyable and safe race round the spectacular British coastline.

GB Row founders William de Laszlo and Jim Bastin’s vision for the race is to not only host the toughest rowing challenge in the world, open to private boats and entries, but to also add a powerful sustainable purpose to the event, leaving a legacy in the sport of ocean rowing for our environment.

Meet the Team

William de Laszlo

Founder

William is an Inaugural Guinness World Record Holder who has twice circumnavigated Great Britain by rowing boat. In 2005 and again in 2022. William’s commitment to environmental causes led to a collaboration with the University of Portsmouth.

Jim Bastin

Director of Operations

Jim set a new World Record in 2005, when he and William rowed around Great Britain in 26 days, 21 hours and 14 minutes. He works tirelessly to give each crew the preparation they need to circumnavigate Great Britain safely and push beyond their limits

Professor Fay Couceiro

Lead Scientist

An expert in environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth, Professor Couceiro’s research involves engineering solutions to resolve pollution issues. She also leads the University’s Microplastics Research Group.

Leah Weatherup

PhD Student

Leah is a student at the University of Portsmouth who will work on the GB Row data sets combined with other data collected around UK waters. Her ultimate goal is to write a white paper to inform and empower policy makers and the general public.

Laura Fantuzzi

PhD Student

Laura is responsible for analysing the ocean pollution data collected by rowers. She is a student at the University of Portsmouth and was also part of Team Sea Change, an impressive team of female scientists who took on GB Row Challenge 2024.

Sophie Wagstaff

Media and Communications

Sophie is an experienced PR professional who works part-time for GB Row Challenge. A former windsurfer and regular beach-goer, she’s passionate about protecting our oceans. Please email comms@gbrowchallenge.com

Jon Churchill

Engineer

Jon’s main role is as General Manager of Porvair Filtration Group, a GB Row Challenge partner. He works hard to design and maintain the scientific equipment on the rowing boats to ensure they are collecting valuable data.

Dr Kat Bruce

Scientist

The founder of NatureMetrics, Dr Bruce is a leading expert in the use of environmental DNA for biodiversity assessment. She rowed around Great Britain in 2022 and is rowing again in 2024 as skipper of team Sea Change.

Alex Mair

Engineer

Alex is a Product Manager for our lead technical partner, Harwin. His technical expertise is invaluable when it comes to designing the specialist scientific equipment on the boats.