Christmas Day in the middle of the Atlantic - no days off for Shropshire soldier's army trio on huge charity challenge

Robert Cross, Robert Treasure - who is originally from Shropshire - and Charles Newman, who together form TEAM V3NTURE, will spend Christmas Day in the Atlantic Ocean as part of their task to be the first military trio, from any nation, to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing vessel.

To date, more people have travelled to space or climbed Mount Everest than have rowed an ocean - astonishingly those numbers include several remarkable Shropshire groups such as the Atlantic Ladies and the Wrekin Rowers.

TEAM V3NTURE are competing in a 3,000-mile race known as the ‘World’s Toughest Row’.

The team hopes to raise £200,000 with 70 per cent going to Macmillan Cancer Support and 30 per cent to their regiments’ three charities.

The trio originally met at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2019 and soon became firm friends.

In 2020, they were selected to compete in a rigorous military skills competition at West Point, USA, but Covid scuppered the opportunity, so they decided to fundraise for charity by running marathons in their gardens while wearing cricket kit.

TEAM V3NTURE’s latest efforts have also drawn the attention of Prince William, who shared his support in a personal letter.

He said: "It is fantastic to hear that you are fundraising for such worthy causes, not least the Welsh Guards Charity, and want to offer my heartfelt appreciation for your efforts.”

Three years ago, Robert Treasure experienced the heartbreaking loss of his father, Stephen, to cancer.

He was taken to the Renton Unit in Hereford, an outpatient facility run entirely by Macmillan, which cares for patients with various kinds of cancer, including those requiring specialist palliative care.

Unfortunately, Stephen died before his family could bring him home, but the care and dedication of the Macmillan nurses left a lasting impression on his son.

“If we can support them and the work they do – that’s a huge privilege and opportunity, and we’d like to make the most of it.”

Having departed from La Gomera on December 11, the trio are now almost two weeks into their enormous challenge to reach Antigua.

They’ve already faced challenges, battling headwinds, strong currents, and Saharan dust.

Conditions onboard aren’t much better, with a bucket for a loo, 40-degree heat and Atlantic storms to contend with.

To fuel the gruelling journey, the three men are consuming 8,000 calories per day.

Thankfully, the world of freeze-dried expedition food is very impressive, with a huge variety available.

The team have already sampled 26 and said they are partial to the macaroni cheese and Thai green curry.

Perhaps the biggest challenge will be maintaining their morale and avoiding cabin fever on the open ocean with only each other for company.

This might be particularly hard for Robert Cross, who recently got married and will probably be wishing he’d picked a more romantic getaway. 

The team isn’t short of visitors, however, and were recently lucky enough to be visited by a pod of dolphins which tracked their boat for several hours.

The three friends hope to exceed their planned donation amount for Macmillan and their regimental charities, but no matter what, they’ll know that the memory of Stephen Treasure will live on through their efforts.

For information about the team visit www.teamv3nture.com or to support the fundraising go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/macmillanv3.