In an effort to disprove common misconceptions about vegan athletes, two brothers: Jude Massey and Greg Bailey, are rowing non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, fuelled by plant-based meals, high-calorie vegan snacks, and vitamin B12 supplements.
Massey and Bailey are on a 3,000 mile long and physically taxing journey; the rowing duo set off from the Canary Islands last Thursday, with the intention to arrive in Barbados in 10 weeks.
Massey who is 18-years-old said to Huffington Post UK: “[d]oing this row on a vegan diet is a way to prove to people that you can do extreme challenges and get all the nutrients you need through a plant-based diet. There’s no lack of protein or other nutrients. It’s a great way to challenge people’s opinions on traditional English diets and extreme athlete diets.”
Jude added the meals taste “absolutely incredible”, without meat the brothers don’t get the heaviness they would after eating meat, a big energy-booster.
27-year-old Bailey’s normal diet is vegetarian, but he is eating vegan during the row to support his brother. Both “Ocean Brothers” will eat three dehydrated vegan meals per day, and take turns sleeping in a covered compartment of their vessel. Massey and Bailey row for one-hour shifts each, day and night. Solar panels powering a water maker are their only source of vital fresh drinking water and the only way to rehydrate their meals.
This inspiring mission is also to honor Jude’s father and Greg’s stepfather Peter Massey, a man with an affinity for the sea that unfortunately lost his 16-year battle with skin cancer in October. Jude said “[w]e really want to do something to be productive and get ourselves out of this grief whirlpool. We wanted to demonstrate to people how to be sun-safe in a really extreme environment.”
Image Credit: Ocean Brothers
This post was last modified on July 9, 2021 8:09 pm