At 22 years old, Grace Church has become the youngest person to row the entire coastline of Great Britain – having crossed the finishing line beneath Tower Bridge in London with her crew mates about the rowing boat Nautilus earlier this week.

Team Nautilus completed the GB Row Challenge in 38 days, three hours, 41 minutes and 25 seconds, an achievement that made Church the youngest woman in history to complete a continuous, unsupported circumnavigation of Great Britain by rowing boat – placing her among fewer than 40 people ever to have done so.

“This has been the best experience I could’ve ever asked for,” she said. “Since I started rowing in my early teens, I’ve always said that one day I wanted to row around the UK. To now be able to say we actually did it feels surreal. It’s a dream come true, and I’ll forever be grateful for this unforgettable journey of a lifetime.”

The team is set to receive a Guinness World Records title for the fastest mixed crew of six to complete the challenge, subject to verification by the Ocean Rowing Society. The approximately 2,000-mile route takes crews through some of the most demanding and unpredictable waters in Europe, entirely without external support.

Church was candid about the moments that tested her. “The hardest part for me was probably the 2 – 4am shifts, when I struggled to stay awake, or coping with the cold and putting wet kit back on. Steering through strong winds and tides was tough at times, but then getting to surf the waves of speeds up to 10 knots was pretty cool. So if that’s the lowest point, I think we all did pretty well – I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved together as a crew.”

Throughout the journey, both Nautilus and fellow GB Row Challenge team Rowmads collected environmental data as part of a citizen science programme led by scientists at the University of Portsmouth. Data on microplastic pollution, biodiversity, underwater noise, sea temperature and salinity gathered during the expedition will be shared through The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange, contributing to a growing long-term record of the health of UK coastal waters.

Rowmads, a five-man crew, completed the challenge last week in 32 days, 30 minutes and 58 seconds – becoming the first and fastest team of five to complete the GB Row Challenge unsupported.

The memories Church will carry, however, are of a different kind.

“Swimming together in Mousehole, Cornwall, after pushing hard through the heat, seeing whales and dolphins, and watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets are memories I’ll never forget,” she added. “But more than anything, the best part was getting to spend every day with such amazing people.”

Nautilus was led by skipper Aoife Luscombe, who returned to the challenge this year after being forced to abandon her 2024 attempt on the Cornish coast.

“After four years of working towards this challenge it’s definitely a ‘pinch me’ moment to have passed under Tower Bridge last night and finally made it home,” she said. “I have loved the spirit of the challenge – aligning citizen science with sport is an amazing way to bring to light both the beauty of the British coastline and the reason we should protect it. I have been blown away by the people and wildlife we met along the way. I certainly won’t be forgetting this anytime soon.”

Luscombe identified the early North Sea as the low point of the expedition, with very little winds, a calm sea state and misty days, the team were out of signal and had to hand pump water when their batteries stopped charging.

“Luckily as soon as we came alongside Edinburgh we found a favourable wind and surfed the North Sea,” said Luscombe.

Although Nautilus began the challenge with six crew members, one rower disembarked on the south coast, leaving the remaining five to complete the circumnavigation. The team’s backgrounds span healthcare, sustainability, education and environmental management.

The 2026 GB Row Challenge was jointly sponsored by Cleaner Seas Group and Simply Sustainable.

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