Row across the Atlantic

What the race involves

The World's Toughest Row – Atlantic starts at San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finishes at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour, Antigua, a crossing the organiser puts at more than 3,000 miles. The annual race begins in early December; the next start is listed as 12 December 2026, with another on 12 December 2027.

It has been run by Atlantic Campaigns, a company based in La Gomera, since 2012, and was formerly known as the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Crews row solo, as pairs, trios, fours or fives, in men's, women's and mixed classes. The organiser says the fastest crossing, by the four-man crew The Four Oarsmen, took just under 30 days, and that one solo rower took 96 days in 2016.

Conditions are hard. The organiser mentions waves of up to 20 ft, about 1.5 million oar strokes, more than 5,000 calories burned a day and a bucket instead of a toilet, and rowers must be clipped on with a harness whenever they are on deck. Many crews raise money for charity; the history page records Row 4 James raising £650k in 2016, and it also notes an oldest-pair record set by the Grandads of the Atlantic in 2018.

The safety courses rowers must pass

Chieftain Training says these certificates are laid down by the Spanish authorities and form part of the rules for the race, and that rowers must complete at least two days of face-to-face training. One solo rower preparing for the 2025 race, writing for The Rivers Trust in 2024, said rowers must also log at least 120 hours on the water, 24 of them at night, with one session over 36 hours. The organiser does not publish its entry fee online, so ask Atlantic Campaigns for the current figure and what it includes.