Training for the GB Row Challenge: What it really takes

Written by Patrick Deacon, Operations Director, GB Row Challenge

At the 2024 GB Row Challenge, Patrick skippered the ‘Coastal Odyssey’ team to a new Guinness World Record for the fastest mixed team of six to row continuously and unsupported around Great Britain in 49 days, one hour and 29 minutes. GB Row Challenge is a rowing race around Great Britain where participating boats are fitted with scientific equipment that collects environmental data, contributing to national research on ocean health. This year The Crown Estate is sponsoring the GB Row Challenge as lead environmental data partner.

If there’s one thing I learned from skippering the GB Row Challenge, it’s that you do not prepare for it by trying to copy it in training. You prepare by building a body and a mindset that can cope with day after day of rowing, recovering and doing it all again.

That mattered even more because I was starting from zero. Before signing up, I had never rowed on the water and had never even used an erg. What began as a personal challenge before turning 40 quickly became something much bigger.

Hidden challenges

One of the hidden challenges was building a team around real life: six calendars, unpredictable weather and endless logistics. We spent weeks turning up ready to train, only to be turned away by the elements. But those disrupted training weekends turned out to be invaluable, because the time off the water helped us build trust long before we would have to live just a few feet from each other at sea for weeks on end.

We learned how to solve problems together, adapt quickly and support each other when conditions were not ideal. Looking back, that foundation mattered just as much as the rowing itself.

Becoming skipper

Taking on the role of skipper added another layer of challenge. The qualifications, planning and responsibilities were substantial, it felt like a second job.

Beyond all of that, for me, skippering was about making calm decisions when things became uncertain, and accepting that out at sea, uncertainty is part of every day.

Life on board

Life on board ran on discipline. We rowed in a strict two-hours-on, two-hours-off rotation, while also managing food, water, navigation, weather, safety and science sampling.

No one could do everything, so each of us had a role to own. That rhythm gave us structure, but it also reminded me every day that challenges like this are never individual achievements; they are built by teams.

The science

One of the most meaningful parts of the challenge for me was the science. Knowing that our row could also contribute to ocean research gave the whole experience an added sense of purpose.

My crew mates, Daisy and Lia, showed incredible commitment in collecting samples, even in rough conditions and while dealing with seasickness and fatigue. Their effort was a reminder that meaningful work often happens in the hardest moments.

The data will be hosted on The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange (MDE), one of the world’s largest collections of marine industry data, accessible to everyone around the globe. It’s quite humbling to think we have contributed to a dataset that can be used by scientists, policymakers, industry and the general public.

The finish line

Crossing the finish line brought relief, but also perspective. What stayed with me most was not just the record, but the shared effort behind it and the knowledge that, at any point, the outcome was never guaranteed.

The GB Row Challenge became much more than an endurance event. It showed me what can happen when people commit fully to something difficult, trust each other and keep going with purpose.