Atlantic rower raises £13,000 at fundraising lunch

Atlantic rower John Watling during his talk at the Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort

Atlantic rower John Watling thrilled an audience of more than 170 people with the tale of his epic 52-day, 3,000 mile journey in The World’s Toughest Row.

John, from Lacock, was speaking at a fundraising lunch in the Kerry Suite of the Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort in aid of the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and Lyme Disease UK.

John, who is the second generation to run his family jewellery business in the National Trust village, said he was inspired to take on the challenge by a customer who had completed it. His daughter Yasmin, 26, was ill with long-term Lyme Disease after being bitten by a tick, and he saw it as a way of raising funds for the charity, as well as challenging himself.

“I had never even run a half marathon before but I thought to myself ‘I’ve got to do this’,” he said. “I was just a skinny jeweller from Wiltshire but it set me off on a three year journey.”

He signed up for the race and began three years of gym work and running, gaining 11kg in the process, while training out on the water with his three crewmates in Team Seasoar, skipper Niall Brannigan and fellow rowers Sam Weber and Jason Wilder.

The challenge is a gruelling ocean trek from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to English Harbour, Antigua. Crews of one to five rowers battle extreme conditions, testing endurance and teamwork. The journey demands mental and physical resilience, with no support from start to finish.

The team struck disaster nine days after they set off last December 11 when their boat capsized. “It damaged our automatic helm steering system, which meant for the rest of the race, the next five-and-a-half-weeks, we had to hand steer,” said John.

“It meant instead of two people rowing, we were down to one. It cost us a fortnight and it was brutal having to take in the thought of how tough it was going to be.”

Despite the extra time, the exposure to the elements and the exhaustion, the team arrived in Antigua on February 2. “The finish was that intense,” he said. “I could hear my wife Azar shouting up on the rocks on the finishing line and just to hear her voice after the buildup of seven-and-a-half weeks was incredible.

“The last couple of weeks I had felt quite anxious actually because I thought ‘we're out here two weeks longer than we need to be, what's going to happen?’”

John and his crewmates during the Atlantic row

The team raised £81,000 for Lyme Disease UK and John said the thought of supporting Yasmin and the encouragement he received from Azar and younger daughter Ariana, 24, kept him going at his lowest points. “I just thought of friends and family back home and that's what got me out of the cabin every time,” he said.

He said he wanted to raise money at the lunch for the Bobby Van because he is a keen supporter of it, as well as Lyme Disease UK. “I’ve known Jennie Shaw the Director a long time and it’s a great charity that's well regarded,” he said.

Jennie thanked John for his generosity. “We are very thankful for the time and energy he has put into this event,” she said. “I’d also like to thank all of our auction prize donors, the Bowood team, John's family, Lyme Disease UK, all of our staff and volunteers who worked so hard to organise the lunch and of course everyone who bought a ticket to come along and support us.”