The King has praised the “courage, perseverance and indomitable determination” of four military teams who completed a gruelling 3,000-mile rowing expedition across the Atlantic. Charles sent a message of congratulations, saying the crews had shown “the finest quality” of the armed forces during their “gallant” journey, and wishing them an “extremely well-deserved rest”.
The four teams: Team V3nture, Oarsome Army Educators, Force Atlantic, and HMS Oardacious Valkyries; took part in the World’s Toughest Row – a non-stop, unsupported race across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua. Each team rowed more than 1.5 million oar strokes, rowing for two hours and sleeping for two hours 24 hours a day, facing blisters and sores, storms, and 40C heat.
TeamV3nture, comprised of soldiers: Charlie Newman, Rob Cross and Rob Treasure, who met and became friends at Sandhurst; set a record as the first military trio to complete the crossing, finishing in 40 days, 17 hours, and 40 minutes. The team is raising money for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support in honour of Captain Rob Treasure’s father, Stephen, who died from cancer in 2021.
The King, head of the Armed Forces, wrote: “I wanted to send you all my heartfelt congratulations on completing your gallant rowing expedition across the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. “Your courage, perseverance and indomitable determination set us all a wonderful example of teamwork and endurance and I am full of admiration for your achievement.
