Explorer swimming Seven Seas to honour late grandfather passes halfway mark

An explorer aiming to achieve two world records by swimming the world’s Seven Seas to visit locations his grandfather, who died with dementia, was fond of has passed the halfway mark.

Louis Alexander started the challenge on June 4 and has tackled 10km marathons in each of the “classical Seven Seas”, starting with the Red Sea in Egypt.

He has since made his way through the Arabian Sea in Oman, the Aegean Sea in Greece, and most recently, the Adriatic Sea in Italy on Saturday.

The 24-year-old, who is based in Richmond, south-west London, said he took on the feat to honour his grandfather Captain Rick Taylor – who served in the British Army for 38 years and died in 2019 with dementia – both through visiting places he was fascinated by and fundraising towards finding a cure for the condition.

He told the PA news agency: “Crossing that halfway point felt like the first little achievement of the project and a small weight off my shoulders.

“Retracing (my grandfather’s) steps is a humbling thing, but it’s also been a very motivating thing because when things do get tough, it’s very easy to snap out of it when you realise, wow, this is actually where my granddad has spent time in the UN or in the military, or where he used to come on holidays with our family.

“It has been a real privilege and when we were in Egypt on our layover, we got to visit the pyramids of Giza, which was one of his dreams for his retirement that he never had the opportunity to do.

“To go there and hopefully fulfil that little dream for him – and hopefully he’s watching down – has been a real highlight.”

Other locations with sentimental connections include Oman, where Captain Taylor spent time when he was in the military.

The explorer is known for taking on mammoth challenges, including running seven marathons in the most remote corners of all seven continents in December, but said this current feat had been the “toughest”.

“We’ve had everything from logistical issues to flight delays to camera equipment being seized at airports,” he said.

“It was so hot in the Red and Arabian seas – it was 40 degrees – and our GPS devices were dying, so we had to restart swims.”

The 24-year-old hopes to break two records – to become the youngest person to swim the classical Seven Seas, as well as to become the first person in history to run the seven continents and swim the Seven Seas.

He has been collecting evidence to verify these feats, including data from his runs, which he intends to send to Guinness World Records.

He said: “When I look at the records, I don’t necessarily look at them as a great achievement for myself but I look at them as an achievement for all of us because this is a global fight.

“On this adventure, I hope to represent all these people fighting to find a cure, whether that’s the researchers or the carers or nurses.”

Money raised from the challenge will go to Alzheimer’s Research UK and over the years, the explorer has raised more than £40,000 for the charity.

Some £800 has been donated to Mr Alexander’s fundraiser so far, which he said “means the world”.

“Lots of people have also been sharing very personal stories of their own relationship with dementia, and I want to offer people a bit of hope and positivity with the project to show we can work together to help find a cure,” he added.

The next swim – in the Black Sea in Turkey –  is expected to take place next week, followed by marathons in the Mediterranean Sea in Spain and finally, the North Sea in Dover, sometime between mid to late July.

A support team – as well as his sponsor Thomas Franks – have been by his side throughout.

Mr Alexander’s fundraising page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/page/thesevenseas