A pioneering group of accomplished rowers set 11 new world records while becoming the first rowing team to cross the Arctic Ocean.

The expedition, known as The Polar Row, traveled from Norway to Svalbard, and attempted to get to Iceland. However, the crew fell short by about 340 miles, and for two weeks, they were stranded on Jan Mayen, an island north of Iceland, where 18 Norweigans live.

During their month-and-a-half long trip starting on July 20, they set world records for being the biggest crew to row the Arctic (6 crew members), for launching from the Northernmost latitude by a rowing vessel, for crossing the Arctic Ocean the fastest and for becoming the first people to row the ocean South to North.

Among the crew was two-time Olympic gold medalist Alex Gregory, who posted a picture of his hands during the wet and frigid trip.

“I’ve never been so wet and cold for so long,” Gregory wrote during the trip. “It’s seeping into my bones, there is absolutely no escape from it. Two degrees, 99% humidity nothing will dry. I have to wait for land. It’s getting worse though, the colder I get, the more I have to work during my shift, the sweatier I get, the wetter I get, the colder I get.”

Also on the crew was captain Fiann Paul, who now holds the overall speed records for the fastest person to row across all three major oceans and the Arctic.

The Polar Row was more than just some record-setting stunt, however. There was a lot of heart behind the effort. The team attempted to raise 20,000 British pounds in order to build a school in the Himalayas, with hopes of beginning construction in January of 2018.

“This is a part of the world in which many children are deprived of quality education, and it is our hope that the children who will attend our school will benefit from opportunities they would not otherwise have enjoyed,” they wrote on their Crowdfunding page.

Voyaging into uncharted territory and doing it for others along the way? That’s better than any one of their world records.