Rowing

Row in numbers (and words)

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I’m now less than 40 days away from heading out of the La Gomera port in the Canary Islands to cross the Atlantic Ocean heading to Antigua. Here are some numbers (and words) relating to my crossing:

  • The Atlantic is the second largest ocean in the world where depths can reach up to eight kilometres
  • The race covers 3,000 nautical miles (4,800km)
  • Waves can reach up to five metres and more
  • Hurricane season end in November, but storms are relatively common
  • 114 rowers in 43 teams are taking part in this year’s World’s Toughest Row
  • 20 nations are represented. For the first time ever, Malta is represented
  • Following Olympic rules, the Maltese national flag will be used rather than the Maltese maritime flag
  • By the end of the race, the total number or people who rowed an ocean in modern times will pass the 2,000 mark
  • To date, just 195 people completed a row two times or more. If I complete the race, I’ll join this very exclusive club
  • The record for a solo crossing in a Rannoch 25 is 42 days. I believe it’ll take me between 50 and 60 days. This means that I have to average around 55 to 60 nautical miles a day (the fastest ever in this race was 107.5 nautical miles)
  • 12 hours a day: this is the minimum number of hour rowing per day. I’m hoping to do up to 16 hours
  • The standard is two hours rowing, two hours off. However, as I’m rowing alone, I’ll row more during the day (up to four hours in a row) and sleep for a longer period (up to four hours) at night
  • I’ll take 1.5 million strokes during the row
  • I expect to jump in the ocean at least four or five times to scrape off barnacles from the hull. These barnacles can slow the boat considerably – up to one knot slower.
  • Last time round, our average speed was 2.5 knots
  • When not rowing, the boat will slow down considerably. If the wind is in the wrong direction, I’ll use the sea anchor to limit backward movement
  • I will need around 6,000 kcal every day (60 kcal per kilo of weight). I’m taking around 530,000 kcal with me, mainly free-dried meals and snacks
  • In my last row, I brushed my teeth four times in 52 days. This time, I’m hoping to do so a bit more often
  • I have been working on this project since October 2022, completing 350+ hours of on water training and countless hours on my indoor rowing machine (completing around 6,000km) and in the gym
  • The boats competing in the race are self-righting, meaning they can capsize. This only works if the cabin hatches are tightly shut
  • Rowers must be attached to the boat at all times when outside
  • No support boats follow the rowers, but the race organizers (Atlantic Campaigns) are in touch every day
  • In the spirit of the first person to row the Atlantic, rowers cannot accept any outside help or supplies. While the crossing will still be valid, it won’t be considered ‘unsupported’

Ocean rowing statistics

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Let’s do this

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43 teams, 114 rowers and 20 nations represented – and for the first time ever, Malta is one of these nations.

There are a handful of weeks left before I head out to La Gomera in the Canary Islands to take part in the World’s Toughest Row. Kamila, my ocean rowing boat, is already on her way there.

It’s been a tremendous few months, and getting to this point has been immensely hard to be honest.

But now, it’s time to go. I’ve trained very hard, even though I still believe I could have done more. I’ve done 350 hours plus on Kamila and nearly 6,000km on my rowing machine at home.

I’ve lifted more weights than I care to remember and done multiple rounds of HIIT (high intensity interval training). I started training for this race in October 2022 and trained virtually every day. I’m tired now, but funnily enough ready to go.

What happens next?

At the end of November, I fly out to La Gomera, with the first team briefing planned for 1 December.

Teams have 12 days to get their boats ready and everything is planned meticulously. I also have my own list of things to do and buy.

In La Gomera, I’ll be doing confirmation rows to check and test everything on the boat and make sure things are packed where I need them.

The final ‘hurdle’ is the boat and equipment inspection where the race organizers check everything with a fine tooth comb. This is done not ensure we are best placed to successfully cross the Atlantic.

Then, on 12 December starting at around 11.30am CET, teams start leaving La Gomera staggered every three minutes. I believe solos go last.

Then, it’s me and the ocean.

Rowing, Sports

Trailer trash

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Every time I write, it is the time for me to stop and take stock of the past week or weeks. I was away on business, so it’s been some time since my last blog.

I have been following socials and am happy to see that the teams in my year (Atlantic 2025) seem to be making good progress. First open-water rows are being done, sponsors secured, obligatory training done, and more.

Then I look at my efforts and am not sure whether to laugh, cry, or crawl up in a corner and hope the world swallows me up whole. Now, I assure you that this won’t turn into a rant.

It’s just that while other competitors are training, practicing, collecting their boats, getting fit, and doing all the other things that need doing (there’s a ton), I am still struggling to get a number plate for the trailer that will carry my boat. A number plate is scuttling my row preparations.

It may seem like the easiest thing and I can’t get one. A bloody number plate. I should be worrying about getting in my qualifying hours done not wondering how to get the boat home.

Before you ask, the company providing it can’t help, getting in touch with the UK agency that deals with these things (DVLA) is nigh impossible, it’s not allowed to use Swiss plates (no idea why), and even a person I know pretty well in the UK flatly refused to help.

I also asked on the FB page for ocean rowers and someone there suggested a person in Bern, who liked the post and sent a friend request. I accepted and then sent him a mail, which he never answered before unfriending me. I mean, why do people do that? He could have just done nothing, right?

Now, there might be some hope in the form of the son of a colleague who lives in London. If that fails, I’ll have bought an extremely expensive paperweight which is sitting in a field somewhere in the UK.

Surprisingly, I’m quite confident this will work. If not, it’s Plan B – put the boat on my trailer, and then put them both onto another trailer. It’ll look silly, but at least I’ll have a boat. Otherwise, it’ll be an Atlantic swim…

What’s this all about?
Cross Rower is taking on the World’s Toughest Row as a solo in December 2025. The 3,000-mile (4,800km) from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua will see him face adverse weather conditions, loneliness, and sore muscles. So far, 44 teams have registered for the race (including nine other fantastic solos). If you want to support Steve, please click here. Every little helps.

Rowing, Sports

April brings promise

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April finally arrived after a six-month winter slog – I can finally go out without wearing the entire contents of my wardrobe. Morale is up.

My preparations for my row across the Atlantic Ocean in the World’s Toughest Row is well under way.

Physically, I’m more or less back to normal with six training sessions a week. This comes after a few months of injuries and illness (nothing serious, but it still stopped training). I feel quite good – not injury free, but good. I have tennis elbow and this means I can’t do weight training. Well, I can but with caution (probably won’t).

With the weather showing signs of summer, I even managed to get rowing on the water – felt very good. It’s always so nice to be on water. So all good on that front.

As my prep goes on, I am realising why ocean rowers say that getting to the start line is the hardest part.

I am now trying to get all the paperwork done to get the boat I have ordered into the country – it’d be difficult in English, but in German it is pretty tough going. You might think that the Swiss are not very helpful, but they are. Really.

Despite that, getting everything done is like trying to get a baby shark to wear her bib and eat her breakie – difficult, but doable with some patience, a wetsuit and my super cool diving knife (not to harm her, of course, just to wave it around a little).

I’m also planning a trip to the UK to collect my boat, plus a trip to the south of France for sea training – very fun indeed.

Before that, I’ll be speaking to the nice people at Rannoch Adventures to get my boat sorted. More fun. The current biggest problem is to get a number plate for the trailer that carries the boat – it’s actually more complicated than it should be.

Cross Rower is taking on the World’s Toughest Row as a solo in December 2025. The 3,000-mile (4,800km) from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua will see him face adverse weather conditions, loneliness and sore muscles. So far, 44 teams have registered for the race (including nine other fantastic solos). If you want to support Steve, please click here. Every little helps.

Rowing, Sports

Battling injuries and insecurities

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This is so frustrating.

Managing to get in a full training schedule is proving hard as I continue battling minor chronic injuries in my right arm, left leg, and lower back.

After the flu and a silly ailment that stopped me from training in the first weeks of the year, I now have to deal with a shoulder pain, niggling elbow and lower back tension.

I can train, and I am training, and quite hard. My most recent indoor row was my record since when I started, meaning I am in good physical shape. I just feel I can do far better. It can be quite tough on the body though.

Now, I’m doing nine trainings a week – three days with one session and another three with two sessions, plus a day off. The increased tempo might explain the injuries, but I really need to step up as it’s now less than 650 days to go. There is no going back.

I’m also somewhat concerned about my capabilities when it comes to the crossing. I have the knowledge, but my confidence is at a bit of a low. It comes in waves – one week I feel great and confident, then next two are low and insecure.

The next few months are going to be crazy with getting the boat and all the red tape around it, doing ‘live’ training sessions in the Med, and getting all the race paperwork done correctly and on time. All this come while managing a (currently) challenging job and also undertaking my family duties.

It’s all so terrifyingly scary and exhilarating at the same time. Can’t wait for the pieces to start falling into place to be honest.

What’s this all about?

In December 2025, I am participating in the World’s Toughest Row as a solo rower. The endurance race will see around 40 teams compete to cross the 3,000 miles from La Gomera (Spain) to Antigua. This is an unsupported row, meaning I will be all alone during the crossing.

A land team back home and the organisers (Atlantic Campaigns) will provide the important backup needed to complete the row.

Rowing, Sports

Tough start to the year

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So January has been a tough month to deal with, at least in terms of physical fitness.

I ended the year getting sick twice, which never happened before. This interfered with my schedule. I couldn’t afford to fall back further.

Starting 2024 meant stepping up to nine trainings a week, which included three days a week with two training sessions. In 2023, it was once a day, six days a week.

Thus far, I have only managed two daily trainings once. One week into the year, I developed a physical condition that has really taken a toll on training. This condition has knock on effects, meaning with January at its end, I have done relatively little.

It’s very frustrating as I’m desperate to really start pushing. With less than 700 days left, there isn’t too much time left to get in shape. It may seem like a lot, but there is a ton to do apart from training.

I know it’ll get better, but I’m not really known for my patience. Rant over.

Rowing, Sports

Lots to do

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When I decided to go on the World’s Toughest Row solo row across the Atlantic Ocean in October 2022, there was a ton of time to do things. The other day I realised that the row is actually next year.

Admittedly, it’s in December 2025, which means a tad less than two years. It may seem like a lot, but when you consider what I have to do, it’s not.

Doing it virtually alone (bar a friend and my wife) means that a great deal of the work falls on my shoulder. Add in the language barrier here in Switzerland and everything becomes more complicated.

There is also the matter of training, which, happily, is back on course. I wasn’t injured or anything – just has no electricity in the basement where my home gym is. That meant no HIIT nor weights training.

It did mean a lot of time on my rowing machine, so much so that my had calluses feel like I have little pebbles permanently attached to my hands.

On a very positive note, I think I’ve cracked the navigation thing and now have set a 100 nautical mile corridor that I will (should) stay in for my crossing. That’s around 200km – it may seem like a lot, and it is. Keep in mind that the weather and sea currents play an important part in all this and will more or less determine where I go. Having such a corridor allows me a great deal of flexibility.

The important thing is I know how to get to the other side.

My most pressing job now is to get the boat. There is a ton of paperwork required to get it in, and with the help from a Swiss rowing mate and my wife working the phones, I hope to manage to get her here without huge headaches.

Finding a name is also proving hard – not for lack of choice but because I have too many ideas. Will figure it out, but here as some options I’m considering:

  • Wingster
  • Wings
  • Sea Fox
  • Emma
  • Sophie
  • Wanderer (or Wanderoar)

I’ll figure it out. Feel free to send suggestions.

Rowing, Sports

Training: Ramp up phase coming to an end

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In December 2025, I will be rowing the Atlantic Ocean as a solo in the World’s Toughest Row.

I started training for the row in October 2022, getting back onto my indoor rower in what was a somewhat haphazard pattern that was aimed at getting my muscles, hands, bum and everything else used to rowing again.

It was around the same time that I also started training for a marathon in Zürich, a long time wish I had. This meant dividing my time between rowing an running, with running taking the lino’s share of my training time.

With the marathon done and dusted towards the end of April, my focus sharpened and rowing – mainly indoors – became my priority.

The period between October 2022 and December 2023 was designated as my ramp up phase, where I get back into shape. My litmus test for this was being able to do 45 minutes on the rowing machine without any big effort.

To do this, 45 minutes on the erg also became my minimum time. In comparison, when I did my 2021 row, 30 minutes was my minimum time.

I also wanted to do so in a decent time for a 53-year-old. In my books, that’s 2 mins 30 secs or less per 500 metres on a regular (rather than just once or twice). To put this in perspective, my earlier times were more like 2 mins 50 seconds per 500 metres.

This has been achieved with a month to spare, so now the ramp up time can successfully come to an end.

The next stages begin in January. Here the focus will be on technique, muscle building, and endurance.

Injuries
Inevitably, injuries are starting to creep back in. My right leg hamstring has been an issue for years, and still is. I feel pain, but can continue working out normally. It’s uncomfortable, but I can handle it.

I also have a left side lower back pain that seems to come and go. That is more concerning as it makes training quite hard.

The worst is my right shoulder. I hurt it in a biking accident seven years ago and it is now flaring up again. I believe it’s because of my increased weight training and more intense rowing. The pain is extending down the arm to the elbow and the other way to my neck.

In the end stages of the ramp up training period, I started training two times a day on certain days. This has also exacerbated the injury. The issue us that the intensity is now increasing.

I’ve taken a couple of days off training with the hope that everything calms down and I can kick off the next phase.

Rowing, Sports

Routine on a rowing boat

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In just under 800 days’ time, I’ll be rowing across the Atlantic Ocean solo in a 7.3m rowing boat. The race, organised by Atlantic Campaigns and known at the World’s Toughest Row, is expected to take me 55 days but could take as much as double.

Probably one of the most important elements is establishing – and sticking to – a routine on board. I am a creature of habit, so this is even more important.

Everything rotates around rowing. In non-solo crossings, most crews follow a two-hours rowing, two-hours off schedule. As a solo, you do whatever you want, based on your strengths and likes (or dislikes).

This is what my plan looks like.

12am to 2am: This is my last (or first, whichever way you look at it) row of the day. I’m not overly keen on rowing at night, but lower temperatures will make for a more comfortable ride. At the end of this row, I will take my longer rest.

2am to 6am: At the end of my row, I plan to have a hearty meal and then sleep (or rest) for four hours (more like 3.5 hours as I’ll need to prepare food and make sure the boat is fine). Sleep depends on how rough the sea is and any alerts – the AIS warning for ships that are close by, or the navigation aids warning me that I’m going too far off my set course.

Because of the latter, I may choose to deploy my sea anchor (like a parachute but underwater) to keep the boat stable and also avoid going backwards. Just a side note – being able to sleep for more than an hour would be really amazing, so fingers crossed for this.

6am to 8am: After getting up around 5.45am and checking the boat, it’s immediately back on the oars at 6am. I’m not really a breakfast person. Better get to work at once. This is also sunrise time when nature puts on a show for me.

8am to 9am: With four hours rowing under my belt, I now need to get ready for the day. This time is, foremostly, coffee time. I didn’t take coffee on my last row as I didn’t like the powder milk. It’ll be creamer this time. After coffee, I have to clean the solar panels, boil water for the whole day, check the boat, see exactly where I am and make sure I’m still heading in the right direction, and clean and clear the boat. Maybe an hour isn’t enough. Oh, and I also need to eat something.

9am to midday: This is the first of my three three-hour rows of the day.

Midday to 2pm: Lunch time. With the water already boiled, this won’t take long to prepare, and even less to eat. At this time every day, I’ll note my position and the miles travelled. My BGAN, a piece of equipment that gives me internet on the ocean, will be turned on so I can check what’s happening in the world and get in touch with my family and shore team to discuss the weather and routing. My sat phone will also be on, waiting for a call from the race organisers who check in regularly to see that participants are fine and provide help as needed.

2pm to 5pm: My second three-hour row. Later on in the row, this becomes the worst part as temperatures hit 40 Celsius and beyond – heat exhaustion was an issue last time. Solar panels also get another clean.

5pm to 7pm: Eat and rest.

7pm to 10pm: Another three-hour slog, with the benefit of enjoying the sunset.

10pm to midnight: Sleep.

There are other things to factor in – hull cleaning, bad weather, injuries, fatigue, repairs, and the dreaded storms, which means being locked in the cabin for hours on end. Can’t wait.

Watch my last rowing adventure across the Atlantic here.
If you are interested in supporting or sponsoring my row, you can contact me on steve@chetcuti.ch

Atlantic Ocean Rower