English Harbour in Antigua from the hillside above, yachts moored in the bay, where the crossing finishes

The crossing · 3,000 miles · unsupported

La Gomera to Antigua

La Gomera Antigua

The race

The World’s Toughest Row

The World’s Toughest Row is organised by Atlantic Campaigns and starts each December from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, finishing in English Harbour, Antigua. Crews row in pairs, fours and fives, and some row alone.

Boats carry everything they need. Water is made on board from seawater, power comes from solar, and there is no resupply. A support yacht shadows the fleet, but taking anything from it ends your race as an unsupported crossing.

Teams have entered from more than thirty countries, and between them raised over €67.5 million for charities of their own choosing.

Figures from the World’s Toughest Row Insights Report 2025, published by Atlantic Campaigns. Data collected March 2024 to February 2025.

The World's Toughest Row fleet at the start

The route

On the trade winds, east to west

Three thousand miles of open ocean, rowed unsupported. No engine, no sail, nobody alongside.

Race map: the route runs west from La Gomera at 28 degrees north, 18 degrees west, to Antigua at 17 degrees north, 61 degrees west, a distance of 3,000 miles or 4,800 kilometres

Race map © Atlantic Campaigns, used with the race asset pack.