What to expect when you get to La Gomera
With this year's participants arriving in the Canaries next weekend, ocean rower Lebby Eyres explains what the run-up to race departure feels like (and what not to leave behind)
It’s just a week to go until the participants of this year’s World’s Toughest Row (Atlantic version) arrive in La Gomera in the Canaries.
This year’s race features 38 teams, 111 rowers and 21 nations – from Brits to Aussies to Antiguans. That breaks down to three fives, 14 fours, four trios, an astonishing 11 pairs and six exceptionally brave solo rowers.
The countdown is on, and as someone who took part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in 2021, I know exactly what everyone will be going through right now.
My four-woman crew The Mothership had one of the most difficult run ups to the start you can imagine – though admittedly, not quite as tough as the one the Oardinary Buoys are going through right now.
Ours was the last boat to be shipped due to electrical issues; I was told I might have bone cancer, and was put on a two-week cancer pathway (it was a false alarm).
So it felt like a miracle when all four of us arrived at Heathrow on Monday 29 November to fly to Tenerife. It’s the WTR cliché but it’s true: getting to the start line is half the battle.
Congratulations to all crews on making it this far. Now this is what you can expect for the next couple of weeks.
Leaving your house will be one of the hardest things you ever do
The night before we left, our tearful skipper Pippa Edwards messaged to say, “Will be looking horrific in the morning – I think this might be the hardest bit”.
I will never forget saying goodbye to two sleepy children, then aged 12 and 15, and my husband Fred at 5am, and walking down the Holloway Road in London, trailing my suitcase behind me.
Whoever you are leaving, or saying goodbye to, believe Pip. There is a depth of uncertainty within your soul and – let me press the bruise here – a small part of your brain will be thinking, “What if I don’t come back?” If you’re the crew pessimist, as I was (every crew needs one), make that a big part of your brain.
Everything is packed, your boat is gone, the training is done, the documentation is finalised: for the next few hours of travelling, you will be with your thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears. Be prepared for that.
Arriving in La Gomera will be a moment to treasure for the rest of your life
There is something special about La Gomera, which first-time ocean rowers and some of your friends and family will experience over the next few weeks. Stepping off the ferry, knowing you are so close to the start line, is a moment to treasure. Take photos, because that picture will be one you look back on for years to come.
Having said that, I hope none of you experience what we did: as we arrived, my crewmate Jo Blackshaw said, “I can’t taste or smell anything.” Cast your minds back: it was 2021 and a new wave of Covid had hit Britain. We’d done our lateral flow tests and they were negative – but over the space of a few hours, Jo’s slight sniffle had developed into something much worse.
We whisked her off to the villa we’d rented, into the one bedroom which luckily had an ensuite, and there she remained for the next 10 days.
La Gomera feels like the best house party ever
Despite this devastating development, the remaining members of The Mothership did get to experience some of what that first week will feel like for you all.
From the moment you arrive, you’ll start to meet the other teams. Elijah’s Star were the first crew we met and I’ll always remember that excitement as we bumped into them in the town square. Perfect strangers soon to become firm friends. Suddenly, you realise it’s going to be the best house party ever.
Guttingly, we missed the first, and the second and in fact a whole week of nights in the Blue Marlin, as we didn’t want to risk passing on any germs.. Quarantined for a day, Pip, Dids and I were then allowed to join the rest of the crew in the boat tent, to vicariously hear the stories of what had gone on the night before.
There will be a huge list of things for you to do in the week before your boat is allowed on the water: but don’t forget to enjoy the party, too. Lifelong friendships are forged, and yes – even marriages!
You’ll leave something behind
Ian, Fraser, Nikki and the World’s Toughest Row team will have drilled this message into all participants of WTR: preparation is key.
You’ve done the boat inspections; you’ve packed and repacked the boat many times before it was shipped; you’ve gone over the items of clothing you need time and time again (hint: not many). But you’ll get to La Gomera and something will be missing.
For us it was flares. We were missing two white flares. These are a bad thing to leave behind as no one can bring them on a plane for you.
Quarantined Jo was spending her days Googling, “Where to buy flares in Tenerife” while we searched every corner of the boat. Somehow, we just hadn’t got the right number.
This is where the Fleet What’s App becomes your friend. Start one as soon as you arrive for moments such as these. We didn’t even have to do any creative accounting on Boat Inspection Day: it turned out other crews had “over-flared”.
[We used one of ours at sea in the first week, as we came meters from a yacht whose captain was getting a good night’s sleep - they are not just there for arrival in Antigua].
Take some time to yourself if you can
This will sound bittersweet to Jo, who had more time to herself during those 10 days than she ever could have wanted. But explore San Sebastián and its surroundings if you can, and definitely get some time to yourself (unless of course, you are going solo!) – you won’t have any solitude for a long time to come!
For the first week, your body will be pushed to exhaustion. There’s the adrenalin and the razzmatazz of the morning meeting – you’ll never forget the sound of Carsten welcoming you to World’s Toughest Row 2024 – and the physical brutality of the endless shifting around of bags, the packing and the repacking of the boat, the emergency trips to the Bazaar, and the hangovers.
Many took a day out once their boats were launched into the marina from the boat park. We couldn’t – not only were we a man down, but we were the last boat in the park (bar the two boats who’d been trapped in customs) as an inspection had revealed a wobbly D ring, and there was not one to be found anywhere on the island: Rannoch flew one in especially for us.
Hire a car; drive to the rainforest; go for dawn swims; at the very least, walk around the mountain trails that lead from the town.
Every part of me is aching to be there in La Gomera with you, heading off on the adventure of a lifetime. As Row4Hope said to me in the boat park: “We’re all here because we’ve said, ‘We can and we will’.”
La Gomera is as much as part of the experience as the time on the water: cherish every moment.
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Last-minute lists
These are all the things the Mothership messaged about in the final week before we set off to La Gomera:
Colgate Duraphat Higher Fluoride toothpaste – better protection for your teeth, which will take a battering
Colinsa 1000ml unisex urinal travel camping portable potty with lid and stopper – for in-cabin wees
Setting up a family What’s App group for all our husbands
Christmas hats
A laminated Man Overboard Drill
“Are we taking honey?” [I think that was a no]
The Sea Survival Handbook (you should have all read it - but do you really need to take it on board?)
European adaptors, passport (you’re not going anywhere without this) and headphones