Safety Check

Before being allowed to launch the boat, all mandatory equipment and food needs to be checked by the World’s Toughest Row Safety Team.

Luckily the team passed this check with flying colours and were cleared to complete their compliance row.

 Compliance Row

During the compliance row, the team had their first taste of true Atlantic rowing.  They also had the opportunity to make sure critical equipment like the water maker and comms equipment were fully functional.

 Photo Day

Always a favourite with the crews – this is the day, the teams have their official race photo taken along with their “Before” photos.   Photos will again be taken in Antigua for comparison.

 Race Start – Dec 14th – Day 1

An emotional day for all rowers.  Sunshine and showers was the order of the day.

Starting from 11:00 the first team, Oceanida pushed from the Marina at La Gomera and the race was officially underway.  Every two minutes a new boat departed, starting with the fours, threes, pairs and then solos.

Three Flying Fish departed at 11:38 and the last solo – Lightship – departed at 12:24.

 Week 1

The excitement of race start quickly dimmed as the enormity of the challenge ahead hit the team hard.

The physical strains of sea-sickness blistered hands and ankles, newly strained back muscles and sore bottoms became a new way of life for the first week.

Some of the team were more affected by the mental challenge, being overwhelmed with homesickness.

But weather conditions were good, with strong favourable winds pushing all teams south at good speeds.

 Week 1 – The Fourth Flying Fish

For a short time towards the end of the first week, the Three Flying Fish became Four, when this beauty landed on deck.

These fish became frequent visitors for the next few days.  One poor unfortunate soul regretted its escape route from predators below, when it ended up in Harry’s freshly filled poo bucket (don’t worry we won’t share the photo, even though we do have one)

 Week 2 – Harry’s Birthday

One of the first milestones of the row – Harry’s 20th Birthday.

The Ocean brought him a special present when a pod of dolphins came and played around the boat for a time.

A birthday he’ll never forget.

 Week 2 – Christmas Day

The next major date milestone – Christmas Day.

A hard day for the team, with thoughts of loved ones back home.

After opening small gifts from loved ones, Harry and Anna took to the water for the first time to give the bottom of the boat a good scrub.  A daunting experience when the seabed is several kms below you and not another soul in sight.   The hull has to be regularly cleaned to avoid build up of ocean growth that would slow the boat down.

 Week 3 – New Year’s Day

A New Year and three major milestones

1.  1,000 nautical miles rowed
2. £10,000 raised for Teenage Cancer Trust
3. Rowan conquered his fears and took his first dip.

 Week 4 – Half Way

On 6th January, the team’s morale had a huge boost when they had reached a point where they had fewer miles to row, than already rowed.

The team’s mindset changed from thinking about rowing away from La Gomera to rowing towards Antigua.

Week 5 – To Clean or Not to Clean

With less than a thousand miles to go to reach Antigua and some favourable weather, the team are thinking it’s time for another hull clean.    Until they saw a post from “Row With the Flow”.

Marlin – they are expecting, Killer Whales were not on the agenda.

Needless to say – anyone taking  dip in the ocean to clean the hull will be supported by a very thorough wildlife spotter.

(Photo from @row.withtheflow)

Week 6 – The Last Push

After the scorching heat and slow progress through the calm days – the weather has turned and the Flying Fish are – well – they’re flying.  Speeds of up to 14 knots coming down off the waves have brought Antigua so much closer.  But this has come with some terrifying moments.  Knock downs (where the boat goes right over on its side) have resulted in broken oars and bashed bodies.  Unrelenting storms means that they are  permanently wet but with the end in sight the team are maintaining their focus on reaching English Harbour and the families that are waiting for them there.

January

And finally 2025 was here. In January, the first instalment of the Race Entry Fee needed to be payed, our boat was in production, and physical training ramped up. 

February

In Feb, we were able to try on our amazing GoofyPro merch. This allowed us to properly feel like a team, and we are so excited to share our clothing with our friends, family and partners! We also filmed a podcast with @leadingourownway and are so excited for it to come on in the coming months.

March

In March, our boat was complete which was such a big milestone! We also were able to get the incredible wrap put on so it looks the part! In addition to this, we put out invitations for our boat launch event in May. 

April

In April, we filmed an awesome podcast with @LeadingOurOwnWay. This 5 part series covered all things ocean rowing, including our physical and mental challenges we will endure. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDQ8jC_N5s&list=PLnAK-PCA8tJkuIcU4F2Fv4EWpcqRLWUSb

May

In May, we travelled up to Liverpool Hope University with the boat to talk to the students about goal setting and self-belief. We set up our boat outside and invited students and lecturers to look around. We even got the security guard to try some rowing!

June

In June, we officially launched our boat design in Burnham on Crouch, and had our headline partner Gill Ashcroft help name it! We also had the amazing team from United Wolf Productions down to film some shots for our sizzler reel.  You can watch this short film on our instagram @threeflyingfish

November

November 2025 came round far quicker than any of us could have expected and on 30th November the Team flew out to La Gomera to reunite with their home for the Atlantic Crossing – their R45 Ocean Rowing Boat – Gill.

On disembarking the ferry we found our name on the list of Race Entrants posted at the Port.

December

The first week in December was spent completing final safety checks, compliance rows and mentally preparing for the challenge ahead.

Storm Emilia meant that the row was brought forward a day and then postponed by 2 days due to severe weather warnings – not the best for last minute nerves but meant more time with friends and family and fun making tiktoks in the Boatpark!

January

In January, we visited HM Coastguard in Dover, to get shown around their headquarters and learn all about safety at sea. Whilst training, safety will be paramount to reduce the chances of us having to use their services, but knowing the work these people do to save lives at sea sure is reassuring! 

February

February was a low point for the team, as unfortunately Matthew left. This, combined with the fact that we hadn’t secured any major partnership, left Anna and Rowan feeling massively deflated and unsure as to whether the row would be able to go ahead. 

March

In March, balancing school, work and other commitments as well as the row began to take a big toll on the team, and Anna and Rowan’s friendship. Luckily, both were fully committed to the row, and so began to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. This was the hardest thing that had happened in our campaign, but with resilience, and a joint dream, we made it through. 

April

April brought a new perspective to the team. Harry joined and added a sense of belief, something Anna and Rowan had almost run out of. During this month, we were also able to get out on the water as a team. It was very cold, but the ration packs we had for lunch kept us fuelled up for the row!

May

In May, Anna visited her local BNI (Business Network International). This allowed her to talk to around 40 business people from the area about the row and make some good contacts over breakfast. We were also invited to the East Anglian Maritime Awards. It was amazing to see the youth being recognised for so many different achievements.

June

June took us to London to Wellnergy 2024, thanks to our supporter Julia. We took an R45 to show off, and lucky we did. The weather was so bad, we almost had to row home! It was a great opportunity to practice networking and talking about our challenge.

July

In July, we were introduced to Gill Ashcroft, and you’ll find out more about this later (see September). Time was running out and we still hadn’t secured a main partner… The clock sure was ticking. 

August

August was busy behind the scenes, meeting with possible partners and constantly developing relationships. We reached out to companies daily, hoping that there would be someone that believed in us. 

September

September once again took us around the country, this time to Hertfordshire for IdeasFest 2024. We were able to go on stage twice to talk about our row! As well as this, the boat payment had been finalised!! This would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our wonderful headline partner, Gill Ashcroft. 

October

October came around, and it sure was busy. Anna had cadet events every weekend, and even managed to go gliding! Rowan took part in the Carnival as part of the RNLI, in both the 999 races and the parade. Harry was possibly the busiest this month as he was straight onto his mandatory courses with the brilliant Dawn Smith. We were even able to make it onto national television to talk about our challenge!

November

In November, it was calls galore! We started designing our boat with the incredibly talented Justin Eagleton, and got to see our first peek at our clothing merch thanks to the brilliant Ben from GoofyPro. We also met Simon Squibb, which was a great way to boost our social media presence (over 2 million views)!

December

Finally, December came round and we travelled to Liverpool to be part of the Combined Care Consortium. Whilst there, we were able to catch up with our partners, including United Wolf Productions, who helped us sort a media plan for the new year. 

February

Then we blinked and it was 2023, one year closer to the race. In February, we were nominated for the ‘Pride of Burnham’ award at the Bingham on Crouch Annual Town Awards. This was a great opportunity to meet some incredible people from the community. 

March

In March, Rowan and Anna got signed off for all the mandatory courses needed for the row thanks to our amazing partner, Dawn Wood, from Aurora Sea School. 

June

In June, we were invited to the GB Row boat launch in London. We attended as Air Cadet Cadet Influencers, cheering on an honorary RAFAC ambassador.

July

In July, we attended the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. This was a great opportunity to showcase the boat and meet some amazing people, including HRH Princess of Wales.

October

During the year, we kept in touch with our Charity Partner, Teenage Cancer Trust. This mainly consisted of teams calls where we could catch up and discuss ideas for engagement.

December

In December, Anna and Rowan went to La Gomera, to see the race start of the 2023 fleet. The atmosphere was incredible, and gave Anna and Rowan a chance to experience what it will be like in 2 years time. 

March

The story starts in March, when Anna and Rowan were coming back from Air Cadets. Anna’s Dad’s boat was outside the house, and Rowan was curious. After many questions, Rowan said ‘I reckon we could do that”, and Anna replied, ‘yeh I think we could’. And so, the Three Flying Fish was born!

April

In April, we made our first Instagram post and officially announced our team to the world. 

May

In May, we continued our training, going on runs and cycles to maintain our physical fitness. 

June

In June, we went for our first (coastal) row with the Burnham Coastal Rowing Club. This was so much fun and was the first time we were able to get on the water as a team. 

July

In July, we became an official team in the Worlds Toughest Row – Atlantic, 2025. There was no turning back now. 

August

In August, we won a costal rowing race as part of Burnham Week.

December

In December, we met up to do ParkRun on Christmas Day!