Rowing, Sports

Solo and unsupported, but not alone

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The biggest misconception about rowing an ocean – solo or not – is that a boat with an engine (or sail) follows you around.

Rowers are thought to wake up bright and early, row for 12 hours and then get back on the support vessel for a nice warm shower, dinner, glass of wine, followed by a comfortable sleep in a normal bed before repeating everything the next day.

That’s not exactly what happens. It’s actually very far removed from reality.

In keeping with the spirit of the first ocean rowers, the row must be unsupported, meaning there is no support ship, and we cannot accept any assistance from outside, not even a cold can of beer.

From when I leave land on 12 December 2025 until I get to land – presumably around mid-February 2026 – I will be on my own. I will be rowing a minimum of 12 hours a day, up to 14 hours if possible.

The remaining time will be used to maintain the boat, contact race organizers and family plus my support team, taking footage, checking internet (yes, I’ll have internet this time), cleaning, cooking and sleeping in a small cabin.

I will be taking part in a race – the World’s Toughest Row – so I will be racing. It’ll be difficult to beat the teams of five or four, but I may be able to catch some duos and trios if I push hard enough and am lucky with the weather.

The race organizers have a sailing boat visiting rowing boats, but they won’t stay around for long for me to get on board to shower and have dinner and take a nap.

For most part, I will be rowing. Solo and unsupported maybe, but not alone in many ways.

Watch my last rowing adventure across the Atlantic here or see below.

If you are interested in supporting or sponsoring my row, you can contact me on maltarower@gmail.com  

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197 and counting

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Rowing an ocean is a daunting task – doing it alone even more so. As of September 2023, just 197 people rowed the Atlantic solo in modern times. Of these, 22 were women. There were a further 87 incomplete attempts.

To put things into perspective, 656 people had reached the altitude of space by July this year. That’s more than three times the number of people who took on the Atlantic rowing challenge solo.

By the time I get to go, there will have been at least another 21 people I know who will row the Atlantic, probably a dozen or so more.

My solo row takes place in 2025 – on 12 December of that year to be exact. Just over 30 other teams will also be in the race – the World’s Toughest Row orgnaised by Atlantic Campaigns. I will row from La Gomera to Antigua, around 3,000 miles of wild Atlantic Ocean. This will be my second row (see below), but my first solo.

Every one of us has a different reason to row, but we all share the common desire to do something which is relatively unique.

In my case, I will become the first Maltese person ever to row an ocean solo. I believe that for a nation so intimately tied with the sea, it is nearly a must for our flag to fly proud among the many nations who have produced solo ocean rowers.

Going solo means I have to take care of everything on the water during the crossing – rowing (duh!), navigating, steering, keeping the boat clean and maintained, making water, managing power, keeping a watch-out for ships and potential dangers, taking care of myself, cooking, ensuring the boat has a good trim, and removing barnacles from the hull.

There is a lot to do.

Back home, there will be a team who will be helping with my journey. With such a huge challenge, the backroom team will provide invaluable support for me to get to the other side.

The costs for my row are expected to be around €140,000 – if you know anyone interested in supporting me, please send me an email. More information is available below.

Source for statistics

Atlantic-Row_Sponsorship-Presentation_September-2023Download
Rowing, Sports

This time I’m going solo

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When I took on my Atlantic Ocean row in 2021, it was the biggest challenge I had ever done. Nothing else came remotely close.

Saying it was tough is an understatement. I had even sworn never to do anything like that again. I obviously lied, or maybe my memory of the extremely hard times I went through quickly left my mind and were replaced by the good parts.

You can see a 30-odd minute video of my trip here, from prep in the months before to the actual crossing.

After 2021, I struggled with post-row blues for quite some time. I can’t explain it, really, but something was amiss and I didn’t know what. I still don’t know what.

After giving it some thought, I decided to implement my original plan conceived back in 2019 – I’m going to row the Atlantic as a solo rower in December 2025. I’ll be taking part in Atlantic Campaign’s World’s Toughest Row (formerly TWAC),

My initial challenge to find sponsors failed miserably, so I’m going to have to figure out how to finance the row on my own.

Now, I’m working on getting a boat, a Rannoch R25, and doing the required courses to qualify for the race. This includes training sessions on open water (as opposed to lakes in Switzerland), so holidays for the next years are already planned. Not sure the kids will be overly happy, but who knows.

What I do know is that the countdown has started – I’m just under 900 days away.

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Row diaries: Not an easy start

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It’s been an eventful but rewarding first leg of the journey for Steve and the rest of the team as they battle rough seas and high winds on their Atlantic adventure.

With swells of up to 3 metres, waves crashing over the side of the boat and the rowers frequently being swept out of their seats, it has certainly not been an easy start to the voyage.

Steve himself has been thrown from his seat countless times, cutting a finger on one occasion. And to make matters worse that finger then got infected which has hampered his rowing considerably. But the team have medical supplies on board and are treating the injury well.

They have also had to spend long periods on sea anchor to cope with the weather conditions and that has slowed their progress.

In one of his updates to home, Steve said he hasn’t been eating much during this first stretch, making do with energy drinks and chocolate for the most part and forcing himself to eat proper food on just the odd occasion.

The reality is that things which are normally simple – sleeping, eating, cleaning your teeth – become so much more complicated in the confined, turbulent environment of the boat, so they just don’t happen, Steve explained.

In one particularly distressing update, he told how the red bucket which the team had designated as their toilet broke meaning the black bucket, which was originally intended to be used for showers, has now been promoted to toilet duties.

It’s fair to assume there isn’t going to be a lot of showering taking place over the coming weeks…

Despite everything, however, the team is still making healthy progress and is many hundreds of kilometres on their way towards South America. A long way to go but they are well on their way.

Steve is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds for three great organizations. To find out more and to donate, go to www.crossrower.ch (de.crossrower.ch in German)

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Row diaries: Weather you like it or not…

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We’ve now been in Portimao for a week and are more or less ready to go. As I write, we are getting the watermaker ready. It didn’t start up last time, but it’s probably just a set up issue. After that, we are ready. Ideally we would leave at once, but we really need the wind to be blowing in the right direction. The bad news is that the wind is all over the place. There was a window a week away, but that has now firmly shut. I must admit it is very frustrating. I am not well adapted to waiting.The good news is that the winds are constantly changing. This means it’s entirely possible we just up and leave with very little notice at all. In the meantime, we will be training and waiting. The wind may be messed up, but at least the sun is out.

Tight fit

In the event of a storm or very bad weather, three of us will be confined to the aft cabin. We tested it out the other day and found it to be a bit of a tight fit. But if we are lucky, this should not happen too often. Sometimes I will be in the cabin alone, other times it will be two of us sharing it. This happens on our downtime, which we don’t have huge amounts of. Having said that, right now I would prefer any sort of tight fit than this horrendous waiting.

Sports

Row diaries: Departure Day (and how to follow me)

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As you read this, I am on my way to the airport to begin my journey to Portugal from where I will start my Atlantic rowing adventure.

I’ve been working on this for so long that I can barely remember what it was like without having this project in my head.

Today, I’ll meet my team for the first time. Over the next two months, we will be together every single moment, confirmed to a very small space, and working towards the same goal – rowing 6,000km across the Atlantic Ocean.

For two long years, I trained very hard. Now, all that I’ve learnt will be used to help me overcome this huge mental and physical challenge.

Here is how you can follow me:

  • Website www.crossrower.ch (or de.crossrower.ch in German) There will be regular visual and text updates on the site
  • Track me allows you to see where I am. You can find the tracker on the front page on my website. At the moment, it still has the track form the last row. Ours will be reset shortly
  • We’ll also have regular Facebook updates (usually a teaser that re-directs to my site)
  • Same for Instagram and to a lesser extent on Twitter, too

Donations can also be done from my website – there are three organizations: Hospice (Malta), the Swiss Cancer League, and Terre des hommes. I’m at around one-third of my goal. All the money sent goes to these organizations. The donations will help me, too, in terms of motivation to row faster.

Determination to succeed

My aim on the row is to follow in my brother’s footsteps. When he found out he had a brain tumor and that it was terminal, he said he would remain positive and fight it all the way. He did so. I hope I have his courage.

This entire adventure is dedicate to him for a good reason – he was a good altruistic person, a fighter with a heart of gold.

I will now face a big challenge, physically and mentally. It’s a big deal, but it is also one which I chose to do. Cancer patients and their families don’t have this choice.

That’s the whole point of this challenge – help the people who are doing their best to make things as comfortable as possible for cancer patients and their families. That’s what my brother would have done.

In two months and a bit, I’ll be back home. I can then return to my normal life. Many cancer patients and their families don’t have this option.

I am also collecting money for Terre des hommes. My chosen project is helping Syrian refugee children in Jordan. I chose to help this organization as I strongly believe children should have the right to enjoy their childhood. Any help you can give them is greatly appreciated.

Sports

Row diaries: Covid challenges with a week to go

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I really can’t believe it, but there’s just one week to go before I leave home for my Atlantic row.

Two and a half years ago, I started this journey with a mixture of curiosity and determination. Nothing has changed. Well, nearly nothing.

I’ve trained hard, very hard, completing eight million metres on my indoor rower, around 400km of on-water rowing, hundreds of kilometres of running, countless HIIT exercises, and a few more kilometres of cycling. And weight training – my favourite (sic).

Now, I’m in the taper phase, so I’m not doing more than an hour a day, maybe two. It’s a lot, but far less than the average of three hours I was doing every day, six days a week throughout 2020.

My body now needs a small break so I can get on our boat Rose fully fit and ready to go.

Covid has keep me very busy over the past weeks.

First, I had to cancel plans to fly to Malta as I would have had to quarantine for 10 days on my return to Switzerland.

Plans to fly to Portugal were also changed because of pandemic restrictions. We looked for options all round – Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, Porto – but none offered the certainty of getting there on time.

Now, the team will meet up in the Netherlands on Friday 19 February (four out of five of us, the other is sailing in to Portimao – how cool is that!). We will then leave on Saturday evening on a 2,500km road trip through five countries to Portugal.

That’s a lot to do before a 6,000km row, but it’s also fun and a great opportunity to get to know the others.

Our week-long prep week in Portugal will also be impossible to complete because of the restrictions. This means that after prepping the boat, we’ll probably leave immediately, weather permitting.

This means that we can leave as early as Wednesday 24 February. It also depends on the weather.

Probably the worst impact of Covid is that family can’t come down to see us off, and probably neither to welcome us on the other side. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll manage anyway.

Organizing and preparing for a row across the Atlantic is complicated in itself – doing it in the middle of a pandemic is something else.
 

Ever little bit helps

So far, we’ve managed to collect just under €3,000 for my Swiss charities (Swiss Cancer League and Terre des hommes), and around €2,500 for Hospice Malta.

I’m extremely grateful for the contributions people have made. For all three organizations, I’m still miles away from my target, so please donate or share my website address (www.crossrower.ch or de.crossrower.ch in German) with people. Every single cent goes directly to the organizations.

You don’t need to donate huge amounts – smoke less for a few days and donate €10.

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Row diaries: Waking up, training, donations, and Covid

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Last weekend, I completed what was probably my last 24-hour training row before I leave on my epic journey. It’s just a month away now.

The training session itself was uneventful. Every time, these sessions get easier. Not easy, just easier than the time before. The only concern I had was that my legs, hamstrings to be exact, were in quite a bit of pain.

I think it has something to do with the HIIT (High intensity interval training) I’m doing, which is why I’ve stopped doing the latter.

Now it’s time for me to balance out my training with appropriate recovery to make sure my body is in the best possible condition for the row. I believe I’ve done what I had to do to get physically ready – more than 8 million metres of indoor rowing, another 500km of rowing on water, may kilometres of running, weights, and HIIT. For a 50-year-old, I guess it’s OK.

I have also started breathing exercises – it’s more to do with my mental health during the crossing. The exercises help reboot the brain in times of difficulty (or so they say).

Back to my 24-hour row training – one thing I realised (you have ample time to think) is that I hate waking up. Who likes it really?. Not only waking up, getting up (even more difficult).

I calculated that over the course of the crossing, I will have to wake up (and get up) around 600 times (1,200 hours = 50 days, with a shift pattern of two hours on, two off). That’s the equivalent of nearly two years of waking up (and getting up) crammed into less than two months. Crazy, eh?

With one month left to go before leaving, my huge concern now is Covid-19 and the ability to get to Portugal to begin our trip. Borders are still open – for now. If they close, we’ll be… well, screwed.

Postponing is a terrible prospect, one which I don’t even want to contemplate. I’ve worked on this project for 2.5 years and would be devasted if we have to postpone.

Ever little bit helps

It’s been a year to date since I announced my plans to the world via an article in The Times.

In this period, we’ve managed to collect just under €3,000 for my Swiss charities (Swiss Cancer League and Terre des hommes), and around €1,200 for Hospice Malta.

I’m extremely grateful for the contributions people have made. For all three organizations, I’m at around 15% of my target, so please donate or share my website address (www.crossrower.ch or de.crossrower.ch in German) with people. Every single cent goes directly to the organizations.

You don’t need to donate huge amounts – skip your coffee and croissant for one day and donate €10. You know what I mean.

Sports

Row diaries: The team – Patrice Maciel (Team EU rower)

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In March 2021, I will row across the Atlantic Ocean with four others, a grueling 6,000km challenge that will push mind and body to the limit. Patrice Maciel is one of the team members of Team EU

This will not be the first rowing experience for Patrice. He has already completed a solo Atlantic crossing in 2014.

Known locally as the Guyanese Rower (he is a native of the French Guyana), Patrice is 48 years old and married with children. He has been involved in sports for all his life, a passion which is also his profession. He became a sports and football teacher and works in the public sector in Kourou, where the French space center is located.

Throughout his career, he participated in a number of prestigious competitions:

– CON.CA.CAF (Caribbean and Central African Confederation) with the Geldar football club of Kourou

– Guyana Football Champion 2001

– French Surfing Championship (Skimboard category) 2nd in 1991

– European Skimboard Champion (Coach of Olivier CHABERT) Champion 2005

– Rames Guyana Crossing the Atlantic Ocean row from Senegal to Cayenne (capital of French Guyana) solo in 2014 (82 days)

Personal tragedy

Patrice is particularly sensitive to the issue of disability in children. His sister Patricia suffered from mental and physical disabilities, succumbing to her condition.

My parents and I have gone through extremely difficult times, Patrice says.

With his sister spending her time in and out of hospital, Patrice is now rowing to collect funds to help children in need and their families.

It’s also a bit of an escape from daily life, experiencing life on the ocean during the crossing.

School education for young people is another area in which he would like to get involved. In overseas regions, particularly in French Guiana, young people are full of resources and talents.

“I wish to support them through my modest contribution that anything is possible and that you should never give up your dreams,” he says.

He believes in studying and being physically active to be successful, plus having a dream and ambitions in life. For this, he is also supporting the Overseas Youth Association.

Patrice will also use the platform to raise awareness on environmental protection by highlighting the state of the ocean and what he observes during the crossing.

I want to make people aware of the need to preserve our planet, he says.

Motivation

This challenge is an opportunity for Patrice to live a human experience and participate in one of the toughest sporting activities in the world. His considerable experience will be of great help.

The challenge includes living isolated from the world with his co-rowers, confined in a very small space without and privacy for many weeks. Rowing day and night, he is also determined to break the world record from Europe to South America.

“It’s an experience of life, human relationships and surpassing oneself. I appreciate the chance to participate in this project, which is in line with my values: camaraderie, respect, work, solidarity, mutual aid, self-sacrifice, and passion for sport.”

The final destination of Team EU is Kourou, around 60km north of the capital Cayenne. It’s also Patrice’s home town. And apparently, preparations for a welcome home party are already in motion.

Sports

Row diaries: The team – Ralph Tuijn (Team EU Skipper)

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In March 2021, I will row across the Atlantic Ocean with four others, a grueling 6,000km challenge that will push mind and body to the limit. Ralph Tuijn is leading the rowing trip and Team EU. He has an extensive history of adventure sports.

The 49-year old started undertaking longer biking rides around his home country Netherlands and the surrounding countries in the early 90s.

His first rowing experience came in 1994 when he participated in a 12-man team crossing of the North Sea, a feat achieved in 42 hours. That year was also when he climbed his first mountains, two of the highest peaks in Norway and Mont Blanc in France.

Between 1996 and 1997, he cycled 24,000km through Europe and Asia part from doing a winter bike trip in the Himalayas at temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius. He followed up a year later with another 15,600km trip from the Netherlands to Russia.

Ralph (left) with Steve (right)

In 2001, Ralph completed a solo winter crossing of the Lena river (the longest completely frozen river in the world) using a specially designed bicycle and polar slide, which were demolished by the extremely bad ice conditions.

Various bike and other adventures followed until in 2006 when he rowed across the Atlantic Ocean together with brother Mike from the Canary Island, La Gomera to Curacao, a total of 5500 km in 88 days.

A year later, he went solo and rowed across the Pacific from Callao (Peru) via Atafu and Fiji to Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), a staggering 19,500 km in 281 days. This is the longest solo rowing trip in history.

More biking followed, including the Fairwater Bike Challenge with a world record for fastest human powered crossing of Africa (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa), 11,000km.

In 2012, Ralph rowed across the Indian Ocean from Carnarvon, Australia to the Cocos Islands (5,300km) in 73 days. He accumulated ore than 13,000 of rowing in various expeditions over the net years.

In 2015, he skippered an Atlantic row crossing of a five-person team from Portugal to Trinidad (6,500km) in 52 days and 10 hours. The team claimed two world records for fastest crossing from Europe to South America and the first woman on board to complete this crossing.

Ralph participated in a summer running expedition through the heart of Australia in 2016, completing 1,500km from Darwin to Alise Springs in 24 days.

In 2017, Ralph led an Atlantic crossing as skipper of a four-person team from Portugal to French Guyana (6,000km) in 48 days, 4 hours and 53 minutes with two world records for fastest crossing from Europe to South America and the youngest rower on board to complete this crossing.

Another Atlantic row was done in 2018 from Portugal to Trinidad (6,000km in 65 days, five world records), and the same route was taken in 2019 (6,000km in 50 days, five world records). In the same year, he rowed solo from Lanzarote, Canary Islands to Antiqua (4,700km in 55 days).

In 2020, he skippered a five-person team from Portugal to Trinidad (6,000km) in 51 days (five world records, including first blind rower to cross from Europe to S America).

In total, he has rowed more than 60,000km across oceans and cycled more than 100,000km around the world.

Atlantic Ocean Rower