Kyle Wills, 33, who was born and grew up in London, Ontario, is preparing for an intense solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. He will row 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) alone, departing from the Canary Islands in Spain and finishing in Antigua.
Kyle is taking part in The World’s Toughest Row, hosted by Atlantic Campaigns, a premier ocean rowing challenge where participants must cross the Atlantic unsupported. Both solo rowers and teams tackle 3,000 miles of open water, facing unpredictable weather and punishing conditions that push endurance, resilience, and teamwork to the limit. Fewer people have completed a solo ocean row than have traveled to space, and the journey demands roughly 1.5 million oar strokes to finish.
With his Atlantic crossing, Wills aims to raise $250,000 for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada and Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital. The effort was inspired in 2024 when a childhood friend was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour.
Wills is currently based in Vancouver, where he works as a post-production coordinator in the film industry. However, his roots are in London, Ontario. He was raised in the city’s Whitehills neighbourhood and studied at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School before continuing his education at Fanshawe College.
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On Dec. 14, 2025, Taryn Smith, from Omaha, Nebraska, USA set off on a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. Her crossing was expected to last between 60 and 85 days, but favourable conditions have already helped shorten that timeline. According to her website, Smith follows a demanding routine of two hours rowing followed by two hours of rest, navigating 40-foot waves, burning roughly 5,000 calories a day, and relying on backpacking meals and snacks to keep herself fueled.
How many people have rowed the Atlantic solo?
As of Jan. 27, 2026, there have been 1,313 recorded attempts at human-powered ocean crossings. Of those, 913 have been successfully completed, with 10 vessels currently at sea. In total, 1,934 ocean rowers and explorers have crossed an ocean under their own power, including 197 individuals who have accomplished the feat more than once—whether solo, in pairs, or as part of multi-crew teams.
Is it safe to row across the Atlantic?
The simple answer is yes—but only if you’re ready to put in serious preparation. To put it in perspective, the youngest person to row an ocean was 16, while the oldest was 72. The feat has also been completed by paraplegic athletes, amputees, and registered blind rowers.
In March 2022, Victoria Evans set a new record as the fastest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, covering 2,559 miles in 40 days, 21 hours, and 1 minute—beating the previous Guinness World Record by 8.5 days.
About Kyle Willis
Kyle Wills, now based in Vancouver, is an endurance athlete, ultrarunner, skydiver, and pilot who is currently preparing for the World’s Toughest Row—a 5,000-kilometre solo, unsupported crossing of the Atlantic Ocean set to begin in December 2026. He is one of just three Canadians to have ever attempted this challenge.
With a history in adventure sports and a drive to test human endurance, Kyle has finished numerous 100-mile ultramarathons and now channels that determination into rowing the open ocean. His expedition is fueled not just by personal achievement, but by purpose—raising awareness of mental health, motivating others to face their own challenges, and supporting access to the best possible care for every child.
The crossing is expected to take about 60 days, but Wills says rowers prepare for up to 100 days at sea.
Learn more and contribute to Kyle’s Cause
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