Meet the Team That Took on the World’s Toughest Row 

Fundraising can take a lot of different forms. Meet the Give Us A Wave crew: four South West supporters who rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in an eight-metre boat. Yes… You read that correctly!  

Bristol-based Grant McGregor was inspired to take on this epic challenge after having watched a friend undertake the race. Grant wanted to prove to himself, and his kids, that anything is possible. So, he did.  

Grant took on one of the world’s toughest rows from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean. He tackled the journey alongside three friends fundraising for causes close to their hearts. 

The crew used only human power to cross the 4,800 kilometres of Atlantic Ocean, rowing in two-hour slots around the clock.  

Grant chose to take on this challenge for The Grand Appeal in an effort to give families hope when their child requires treatment at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Grant told us:  

How It Went…

The crew were immediately faced with their first hurdle when their start date was delayed due to a period of severe wind. Gusts of 80-90mph were estimated, and the lads were eventually able to set off on 14 December.  

Their first day was expected to be the hardest as they adjusted to life on board: getting to grips with their sea legs and, of course, missing their home comforts and families. Although sea sickness struck some of the sturdiest shipmates, the team managed to cover a whopping 76 nautical miles in their first 24 hours.  

The days that followed were full of highs and lows: beautiful sunsets, shooting stars, flying fish and even pods of dolphins! By day three, all sea sickness had subsided which was fantastic news, as the crew are required to eat around 5000 calories a day to keep them fueled for all of that rowing. Thank goodness for freeze-dried meals and homemade granola.  

By day seven, the crew had covered an impressive 552 nautical miles and were headed towards the Caribbean. Before they knew it, it was Christmas. They were treated to a visit from Father Christmas himself, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, delivering some sweeties to keep them fueled.  

On 3 January, they hit the halfway mark. The boys had 5km of water below them, and were closer to humans on the space station than on land. 

As the days went on, great progress was made. The team rowed their socks off, but also had to complete chores like cleaning the barnacles that build up quickly on the bottom of the boat. They also managed to catch a barracuda while fishing, which, thankfully, they returned to the water. 

On 21 January, the incredible team crossed the finish line in Antigua. It offically took them 38 days, 9 hours and 16 minutes to smash this epic challenge. We imagine it’ll take even longer than that to recover from rowing 12 out of 24 hours every day. That’s two hours on, two hours off, all day… every day.  

The crew are hoping to raise a whopping £10k, to be split across their four chosen charities, and The Grand Appeal is honoured to be one of them.  

The money Grant and his team raise will support sick children and their families through funding cutting-edge medical equipment, play and music therapy services, home-from-home accommodation and much more.