Bring it On! Hove adventurer prepares to take on the World's Toughest Row

Sam Weber from Hove, East Sussex is a serial adventurer and he’s now preparing for his greatest challenge.

Together with a team of three other rowers Sam is training for the gruelling and perilous Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. (The World’s Toughest Row) The 51 year-old has already notched up some impressive feats - braving the so called “Mountain of Death” – Mount Aconcagua in the Andes -and trekking through the Amazon jungle to live with a local tribe. But Sam who is a fitness fanatic knows that this time success will depend hugely on mental strength and resilience.

Sam said: “Physical strength and body conditioning can only get you so far with this challenge. It’s an 80% mental challenge. Once we get out into the Atlantic – it’s just four rowers living in a tiny space, battling sleep deprivation and exhaustion, not to mention the unpredictable ocean. We will be alone with our own thoughts for hours and that’s when it will get really tough.”

The race which is held every year is considered to be the World’s toughest row. Competitors must take on more than 3000 miles of ocean from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Nelsons Dockyard in Antigua.

Sam, a sales and marketing director will be joined aboard their boat Oardrey by skipper Niall Brannigan from Southport and John Watling a jeweller from Laycock in Wiltshire. The team recently had their first row in their boat at Portland in Devon. Joined by world leading ocean rowing coach Duncan Roy, the team not only had to start honing their rowing technique but also get to grips with the everyday challenges of living in a small vessel on the vast Atlantic.

Sam explained: “We have to be spot on with everything: Moving from bow to stern without causing a capsize; Mastering the electronics and the water maker and planning our passage across the Atlantic. For me personally the mechanics of rowing on the sea was interesting. It is nothing like a rowing machine or rowing on a river. My longest stint on the oars was 5 hours and I got 6 blisters!”

The Seasoar team will be on the La Gomera start line with around 40 other vessels in December 2024 but in the meantime, they are tackling another huge challenge. Sponsored by the EFT Group, they have set themselves a target of raising £200k and awareness for their chosen charity – Lyme Disease UK. The team have a strong connection to the charity as crew member John’s daughter contracted the debilitating disease after being bitten by a tick.

Sam added: “We are aiming to make a real difference to everyone who is affected by Lyme Disease – it will be one of our driving forces and clear goals as we gear up for the race. As a team we also have a tougher goal – To start as friends, arrive at the finish safely and remain friends despite everything the Atlantic throws at us!”