Three men are aiming to make history as they attempt to do something that has never been done before - rowing all the way from Belfast to Rome.
The trio from North Belfast will row the 2,700-mile journey over 10 weeks, facing tempestuous seas, powered by nothing but human strength and willpower.
They'll not set foot on land until their arrival in Italy and will be eating, sleeping and living on a 28ft boat for up to three months.
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And the Ireland to Italy team - made up of Jack Norris, Ciarán Breslin and Aidan O'Reilly - are planning to complete not one but two world firsts.
In 2024, they want to be the first team to row around Ireland and, the following year, aim to become the first crew to make the 2,700-mile journey from Ireland to Italy.
Both voyages will be unsupported, take several weeks to complete and be very hard work.
Jack, a 27-year-old investment analyst, who is originally from the Antrim Road but currently lives in Toronto, Canada, will be joined by two old schoolfriends, Ciarán and Aidan.
He told Belfast Live: "This has been in the pipeline for the past two years but first of all we had to decide if it was even possible. We got someone to look over the last 20 years of weather data, the tides and wind patterns etc and then we figured out that it was possible.
"When you're in an ocean rowing boat, you don't have an awful lot of power so if the weather is against you, you're not only going nowhere, you're also going backwards because it's not like you're on a bike so you can't pull in or stop.
"Once we realised it could be done, we had to put together a marketing pitch to companies for fundraising. We're very excited for this to all become a reality and we'll be getting our boat in April before we row it over to Belfast Harbour from England in early summer.
"It's nice to be doing this with two guys who I've known since we were all in school together at St Malachy's College."
Jack added: "I have always had a passion for adventure and found myself captivated by feats of endurance that I have witnessed in documentaries and read about in books.
"My endurance journey started with a half Ironman and Ultra marathon in 2018 during my final year at university and progressed to a full Ironman the year after.
"This feat has never been achieved before and, for portions of the expedition, we will be navigating completely uncharted waters. I view ocean rowing as the ultimate test of endurance and in my opinion, there is no greater prize than doing something that has never been done before.
"Over the course of our adventure and training, we will be attempting to set three world records - the first and the fastest boat to row from mainland Ireland to mainland Italy; the first and the fastest boat to row the length of Portugal and the fastest rowing circumnavigation.
"Our team will row in two hours rotating shifts (two hours on/two hours off), day and night for the entirety of the expedition. While one pair rows, the other prepares food, monitors the navigation and catches little more than an hour of sleep before returning to the oars."
After raising funds themselves over the last two years, while the team will finally be getting their boat this summer, they still need an additional £15,000 to complete the purchase.
They are currently hosting a range of fundraising events across Belfast and say any donations, either at these events or online via their GoFundMe page, would be hugely appreciated.
"As we've said, anything that you can spare will go a long way in helping us achieve these goals and we're truly grateful to anyone who donates," Jack added.
You can also keep updated on their progress via Instagram.
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