How much does it cost to row the Atlantic?

From the moment Dan and I decided we’d enter the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, we’ve been fundraising. Hassling businesses, boring our friends and colleagues-and if you decide to row an ocean you’ll find yourself doing the same! So how much funding do we need, and what do we do with it?

TLDR;

We need to raise over €100,000 to participate. That’s the rough figure we give people when they ask, and it’s a lot of money.

Once the race is complete, we’ll sell our beloved boat and all usable equipment to another budding team, collect additional funds donated during the crossing, and whatever’s raised by doing all that will be given to charity.

We are extremely grateful for every cent we receive, be it a personal donation, corporate sponsorship, large or small-it all helps us towards our goal and ultimately give back to some very important charities.

TWAC guidance

The TWAC is run by Atlantic Campaigns, and to make sure nobody enters into this completely blindly they give rowers some ball park figures. According to their current guidance, teams should budget:

• €80,000 for a solo rower
• €85,500 for a pair (like us)
• €95,500 for a trio
• €98,500 for a team of four
• €103,000 for a team of five

I’d say these numbers are on the conservative side, but they come with huge caveats: an ocean rowing boat, for example, could cost anything from €30,000 to (well, the sky’s the limit).

The big costs

Buying buckets and ropes and energy bars is great fun, but there are some really big costs which can trigger sea sickness, even on dry land.

Race entry for a pair (at time of writing) costs €22,500. For this fee teams get support during the race (daily satellite phone contact with the safety team, a support sailing yacht, logistics and comms with family members and supporters).

Teams also get support and coaching throughout the whole campaign, with team members on hand to answer even the most ridiculous of questions and make sure everyone who reaches the start line is ready for the crossing. And being part of an organised event like this means teams can share the reach and coverage Atlantic Campaigns have earned over the years, which can be really appealing to potential corporate sponsors.

Our boat is a brand new Rannoch R25, having rolled off the production line in Essex just before we were all introduced to the word COVID, and cost the campaign £46,000 (that’s GBP, not EUR). It includes oars, rowing positions, solar panels, battery monitors, a trailer, but not much else. With our connections in the marine industry we decided to source navigational equipment, batteries, and extras ourselves.

A used boat would have been cheaper (and more complete) but everything second hand needs servicing, and at the end of the campaign we’ll be able to sell Axel for more (in theory) passing on the extra funds to our charities.

So with those two essential big purchases, our costs quickly reached €75K.

Boat equipment

• Storage can be a cost many teams face, but we’ve been supported by Heavy Seas in Palma who’ve looked after our boat and kept it secure for free.
• Batteries have also been supplied courtesy of Mallorca Batteries.
• Our Schenker Zen 30 water maker would have cost almost €5,000 if bought new, but we purchased a used model from TWAC veterans The Wrekin Rowers for half that.
• We had to service it however, plus replace the hoses, filters, and membrane. This was all done by Titan Air Marine (who have kindly sponsored our upcoming golf event).
• AIS system, chart plotter plus relay screens for on deck, fixed VHF unit, autohelm, mattresses and lots of smaller items were all fitted by Heavy Seas, and totalled “a few thousand Euros”.

• Pinmar pledged €500 in store credit at their chandlery, which we used to purchase buckets, ropes, torches, deck knives, and things of that nature.
• We purchased from Rannoch (boat makers) a mandatory third set of oars, all kinds of steering and rowing position spares, drogue and para anchor rigs, and this again came to “a few thousand Euros”.
• One unusual extra is the addition of a kevlar reinforced plate underneath our mattress, to protect us from marlin strike. This is becoming a common occurrence nowadays, and a marlin spike through an inner thigh is not something any ocean rower wants to contend with! Thanks to BMComposites for sorting that out for us.
• Our boat also has a nice cover to protect it from the elements, custom made by Master Covers in Mallorca.
• Safety equipment such as lifejackets, a life raft, immersion suits, beacons, flares, and extras can also run into the several thousands of euros.
• Boat decals are another cost to consider, whether that be in the form of simple stickers, more elaborate vinyl wrapping, or painting. Thanks to Superyacht Eco and LogoShack Digital for sponsoring us too.

So as you see, kitting out an ocean rowing boat certainly adds up. We still have items to purchase too, such as satellite phones, internet linkup gear, cameras, bluetooth speakers, and so on. Thank you to all our sponsors who have helped directly with boat equipment!

Courses and training

If you’re a team based in the UK you’ll find checking off the mandatory RYA courses logistically quite easy. There are a couple of training centres which tailor their multi-day courses specifically for ocean rowers. You can sit them in one week and get them all checked off.

Thanks to MSOS and Deep Blue Sea Training in Palma, plus Bluewater in Antibes for helping me get qualified outside of the UK. Budget at least €1,000 per person for these qualifications.

MSOS are also kindly sponsoring our mandatory medical kit (which can cost well in advance of €1,000 depending on where you get it), so huge thanks to them for that!

Food and nutrition

I’ve already written about what rowers can expect to eat on an Atlantic crossing, but not about the costs involved. Dan and I need food for 65 days, much of which is in the form of freeze-dried meals. These meals come to around €3,500-thank you to both Expedition Foods and Basecamp Foods for granting us a discount too!

Additional calories can be gained from anything a rowing team might prefer. We’ve also been supported by El Toro Foods and MegaRawBar in Mallorca, donating biltong and energy products respectively.

Miscellaneous

Travel, clothing, insurance, fuel, marketing and website, accommodation, shipping costs for materials, and shipping costs for getting your boat to La Gomera (and back from Antigua) are all costs teams must contend with. We’re very happy that Complete Marine Freight have come onboard to help us with shipping Axel around! We have plenty of irons in the fire to cover other costs, and have we mentioned our upcoming golf event?

In conclusion

After adding all that up I need a cup of tea… Needless to say, without the help of lots of people and businesses, we wouldn’t even be getting to La Gomera, let alone the other side of the Atlantic! Huge thanks to everyone who’s come onboard so far, and if you’re interested in getting involved please reach out or visit our GoFundMe page!

Originally published at https://roaring40s.co.uk on September 12, 2022.