WORLD’S TOUGHEST ROW 2027

Rowing the Atlantic SOLO

Guy’s CHAllenge: Rowing SOLO 3,000 ACROSS THE Atlantic

Hi there! I’m Guy Dresser. And I’m rowing the Atlantic, solo and unsupported. I really need YOUR HELP to reach the start line. Please do get on board with me…

The World’s Toughest Row is the premier event in ocean rowing. A challenge that will take me more than 3,000 Miles west from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain (28°N 17°W) to Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua & Barbuda (17°N 62°W). The annual race begins in early December, with up to 40 teams participating from around the world.

View through a hatch showing a person on a boat adjusting equipment, with a rocky hillside, trees, and partly cloudy sky in the background.
Marina with multiple racing boats docked, event flags flying, spectators on the dock, and hills in the background at sunset.
Henry Cheape with short curly hair wearing sunglasses, a wide-brim hat, a white polo shirt, and colourful shorts, finishes the World's Toughest Row
Ocean Rowing Rowing boats lined up at the marina at La Gomera the start of the World's Toughest Row 2025 with flags in the background, taken during daytime.
An ocean rowing boat solo rower leaves the marina to start rowing in the World's Toughest Row. Approaching a dock with a large banner that reads 'World's Toughest Row 3,000 Miles to Go.' A crowd of people is gathered on the dock, watching the boat.
An ocean rowing boat with solar panels on its front is moving through choppy ocean waters. The boat is directed towards the viewer, with the ocean and a cloudy sky in the background.

Alone With the Atlantic

The World’s Toughest Row across the Atlantic starts in the Canary Islands race village of San Sebastián de La Gomera, where crews from across the world come together to prepare for one of the hardest endurance events on the planet. The atmosphere is electric, a mix of nerves, excitement, and sheer determination as everyone makes final checks before heading into the unknown. When the claxon sounds, the marina erupts with cheers. Then the noise fades, and it’s just me, my boat, and 3,000 miles of open ocean. For around 50 days, I’ll face powerful swells, unpredictable weather, and long, lonely hours at the oars. There’s no turning back – just grit, focus, and the will to keep moving west.

How do I feed myself? Where do I get drinking water? How do I sleep? And where’s the onboard toilet? The answers to all these questions - and more - are below!

SPONSOR ME
SPONSOR ME

WORLD’s TOUGHEST ROW FACTS:

  • Silhouette of a person rowing on water with a paddle.

    I will take in excess of 1.5 million oar strokes over the period of my solo Atlantic row.

  • A clock with orange hour marks and a single orange segment indicating a quarter of an hour.

    Solo ocean rowers have the option to do a shift pattern (2 hours on 2 hours off) per 24 hours or I can do longer stretches of rowing anywhere up to 18 hours a day.

  • Illustration of an orange-colored wave or water crest.

    I will experience waves that can measure up to 40ft/12m high. At its deepest, the Atlantic Ocean is 5.28 miles/8.5km deep.

  • Simplified orange outline of a sailfish jumping out of water.

    Ocean rowers can expect to see lots of wildlife, such as minke and pilot whales, dolphins, turtles, flying fish and of course the blue marlin, whose bills have previously pierced through hulls of ocean rowing boats!

  • Icon of a person holding a sign with a Euro currency symbol.

    To date, the World’s Toughest Row has raised over €19 million for various charitable causes through the efforts of its teams and participants​.

  • Icon of a satellite phone with a satellite dish.

    I'll have a satellite phone which enables me to contact land support and VHF to contact passing boats in the event of an emergency. Two land-based duty safety officers are on-hand 24/7.

  • A person eating food while another person is pouring a drink into their mouth.

    I should aim to consume 10 litres of water per day. I will need to filter water from the ocean by using a desalinator. Rowers burn in excess of 6,000 calories per day. Each rower loses on average 12 kg crossing the Atlantic.

  • A brown plastic potty with a smiling poop emoji on it.

    Each rower is expected to use 800 sheets of toilet paper during their crossing. There is no toilet on board – rowers use a bucket!

  • No drinking or alcohol allowed sign.

    All rubbish must be stowed on board and taken to the finish destination. Polluting the ocean is not acceptable in the ocean rowing community.

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Two ocean rowers rescue a turtle that's stuck in a net.
A point of view photo of a man rowing the Atlantic, waves and water are splashing across his arms and legs as he rows in difficult conditions.
Close-up of wrinkled, weathered hands after an ocean row.
A bowl of food, held by a person on an ocean rowing boat with a sign reading 'World's Toughest Row' in the background.
Sam Glover sitting in a boat with his hands pressed together in a prayer-like gesture, smiling, after completing the World's Toughest Row
A black bucket with a white graphic of a person sitting on a toilet and reading, along with the text 'Please keep this bucket clean, it's all we have.'

WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE TO ROW THE ATLANTIC?

Rowers can face:

  • 40-foot/12m waves

  • 40mph winds

  • Can get up to 40°C heat in the cabins

  • Sunburn

Map of the Atlantic Ocean showing the route of a solo Atlantic rowing team from the Caribbean Islands to the Canary Islands, with race start and finish locations, distances, and coordinates.

THIS 7 METRE ocean rowing boat will be MY home for 50 PLUS days

Ocean Rowing boat showing solar panels on the roof, satellite phone, sponsors' logos, food stored in the boat hull, water maker/desalinator, and sleeping area, with labels and icons indicating their locations.

Join me on this incredible journey!

Help me get to the start line. Sponsor my Atlantic row, spread the word, and follow the campaign. Your support, or your company’s, or an organisation you may be involved with, could help save lives with DKMS by helping me reach the start line in La Gomera in December 2027. Please get on board!

SPONSOR ME
SPONSOR ME
DONATE TO DKMS
DONATE TO DKMS
Join the stem cell register
Join the stem cell register