On the 13th December Five Royal Navy Submariners set off on an epic 3,000 mile rowing adventure, competing in the ‘World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic’ event with 37 other teams from 15 countries.
The HMS Oardacious team are attempting to row their Rannoch RX45 Ocean Rowing Boat named ‘Captain Jim’ from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean, rowing a continuous cycle of roughly 2.5 hours on, followed by 1.5 hours rest, round the clock for somewhere between 35 and 45 days – while 3 row the other 2 sleep in the tiny cabins at each end of the boat.
The boat, ‘Captain Jim’ is self sufficient apart from food, with solar panels providing the power to two batteries which supply all the essential equipment including the all-important watermaker – a mini reverse osmosis plant which makes fresh water from seawater. The crew expect to battle monstrous seas (waves up to 40ft high), contrary winds, the blazing sun, sleep deprivation and sores in their quest, showcasing the ‘silent service’ [submariners] on a global stage.
It’s shaping up to be a very fast year, HMS Oardacious are absolutely smashing it out there … there is scope for a new all time world record here … but time will tell. Keep supporting, keep thinking positive thoughts for them, and we might just see something very, very special happen!
EACH TEAM WILL ROW IN EXCESS OF 1.5 MILLION OAR STROKES
EACH ROWER LOSES ABOUT 12KG CROSSING THE ATLANTIC!
THERE IS NO TOILET ON BOARD – ROWERS USE A BUCKET!
EACH ROWER NEEDS 10 LITRES OF WATER PER DAY.
ROWERS BURN OVER 5,000 CALORIES PER DAY.
Meet the Team
The five team members are scattered around the country for both home and work so have mostly trained independently apart from 4 training expeditions together, including laps round the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Skye:
Matt Main (Skipper), 39, a Marine Engineer Officer originally from mid-Sussex, now lives just outside Bristol with his wife and three boys. An adventurous family they love to pack up their campervan for trips to mountains and coasts around Europe.
Dan Seager, 38, is also a Marine Engineer Officer. He grew up in Chester and now lives in Bristol with his wife and two young children. Dan joined Oardacious to support the mental health campaign but at 6’4” was rapidly recruited into the rowing too, a new sport for him although he has always been keen for any adventure in any weather.
Rob Clarke, 37, is a Medical Services Officer from Fareham in Hampshire who now lives North of Glasgow with his wife and 2 young girls. An all-round sportsman, Rob has represented the Royal Navy at downhill skiing, Squash and mountain biking.
Ian Allen, 39, a nuclear reactor operator hails from Sevenoaks, Kent but now lives near Southampton with partner and 3 year old girl. Ian is the experienced ocean rower of the team, holding records for rowing the Indian Ocean in 2009.
Mike Forrester MBE, 40 is from Edinburgh but now lives near HMNB Clyde with his wife and two boys. Picking up rowing for the first time in March, Mike is a keen runner who will also be battling seasickness throughout!
Track the Team
Track the TeamUnlike on their submarines, this team WANTS you to know where they are!
Using their YB Tracking unit on the boat, the team can be tracked whilst they’re rowing across the Atlantic Ocean! Every four hours the tracker will send a satellite ping and that will update their position on the map. In order to track the team you need to download the “YB Races” app from the App Store or Google Play, tap “Add Races”, and select “World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic 2023”.
How it all started
In January 2020 Team Forces supported four Royal Navy Submariners to become the first ever Royal Navy team, and the fastest military team in history to row across the Atlantic Ocean spending 37 days, 6 hours and 40 minutes battling 3,000 miles across the North Atlantic. That first crossing was the start of a legacy that saw Royal Navy personnel repeat the success in the 2022 challenge, getting across in 35 days, 17 hours and 19 minutes.
Images courtesy of Atlantic Campaigns