Team members: Alex Fawcett
Hometown: Bristol, England, UK
Race vessel: Liteboat X-Row
LOA: 16′
Human propulsion: Row
Alex Fawcett doesn’t like being alone.
So he entered R2AK solo.
He’s rowed the Atlantic with a crew, and what stuck wasn’t glory—it was chafe. Hands splitting. Salt grinding. Skin failing before spirit. His new doctrine: moisturize. Forget iron callouses. Keep the hands supple so they last. He’s auditing everything—layers, boots, seams—because solo, a small irritation doesn’t stay small.
The real test is internal. Extended time in his own head, on purpose. His counterweight is intentional sociability: talk to other racers, linger on docks, don’t let the isolation calcify.
He’s not chasing transcendence. He’s running an experiment: what happens when you remove the noise, the people, add weather, and don’t have anyone else to blame for the playlist in your head. If it gets uncomfortable, good. That’s the point.
The Race to Alaska Podcast
Episode 6: Team Mistakes Were Made, Team Much Ado About Muffin, Team The Bristol Bear
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What’s the one piece of advice you’re absolutely going to ignore?
Don’t do it solo, don’t row it, wear gloves.
What’s your team’s origin story?
The only other person prepared to do it with me wanted to sail the race on a Hobie 16 beach cat. Solo rowing seemed like the better option (just). For the record, I am actually quite sociable and easy to get along with.
Luck/Skill Ratio
50:50
Night-Before Sleep (hh:mm)
03:00