This month we’re following the extraordinary journey of Andrew Osborne as he passes the half-way point of an epic 3,000 mile solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. The Rutland adventurer is keen to raise over £150,000 in memory of his daughter, and in support of the screening charity Cardiac Risk In The Young…
It’s February 14th, just coming up to midday, and we try to give Sallyanne Brooksbank a call, but she’s on the phone to her significant other, Andrew Osborne. They’re wishing one another a Happy Valentine’s Day. “I wasn’t expecting him to remember, let alone call!” says Sallyanne when we spoke a short while later.
In fairness, Andrew would have had a better excuse than most men for forgetting this year’s regulation Valentine’s Day greeting card and forecourt flowers. His position as of Valentine’s Day 2023 (about half four in the afternoon) was 018° 25.544N, 038° 34.328W, which is about 3,113 miles from Oakham, as the crow flies. Andrew is right slap bang in the centre of the Atlantic, heading towards Antigua, travelling at about two and a half knots.
At the time of our phone call with Sallyanne, Andrew is about halfway through a transatlantic row, having set off on 8th January. So far, he has covered 1,422 miles and has another 1,351 miles to go, covering about 38 miles a day. It was thought the journey would take 80-100 days, but actually it might only take 70 days with a bit of luck from the weather and a decent wind behind him.
That means Andrew will arrive in Antigua in late March, about the same time as Pride goes to press. Sallyanne and about 10 members of the family will book their flight to the Caribbean Island when they can be a little more certain of exactly when Andrew is likely to arrive.
Andrew and Sallyanne are originally from Yorkshire but have lived in Rutland for 12 years. Between them, they have five children and a couple of very young grandchildren. In 2017, Andrew’s daughter Amy died in her sleep of an undiagnosed heart condition which is genetic in origin and shared by around one in 300 people. Around 80% of those with the gene which caused Amy’s condition don’t experience any symptoms, and after becoming aware that a simple screening procedure could disclose the otherwise undetected condition, the family set about raising money to provide screening for young people in the Rutland and Leicestershire area. Already their fundraising efforts for screening have led to a diagnosis in five local youngsters.
“Andrew always wanted to do something on his own, something ambitious,” says Sallyanne. The idea for his adventure first arose at a dinner party about 18 months ago. Preparation began and Andrew was, of course, determined to succeed in his bid. The charity Row for Amy was established and a target was set to raise £150,000.”
Row for Amy is supported by some great sponsors, not least among which is Charles Tyrwhitt, The White Company, global software company MHR and Delancey.
The latter is an investment firm Andrew and Sallyanne met through their work in property, and upon hearing about Andrew’s adventure, Delancey agreed to fund Andrew’s ocean-going rowing boat, which is about 20ft long and equipped with solar panels and three sets of lightweight – but strong – carbon fibre oars.
“Andrew has always been good at functioning with as little as four hours of sleep,” says Sallyanne. “He tends to row for about four hours at a time with a 20 or 30-minute break in between, and he sleeps a bit at night.”
“There’s little room for food on board, so his meals are dehydrated rations to which he can add boiling water.”
“Breakfast is usually porridge, then something like chilli con carne for lunch and salmon risotto or chicken and rice in the evening… he needs to consume around 5,000 calories a day.”
On board the vessel is a desalinator, powered by solar energy, to filter and remove the salt from seawater. A hand-pump for the device serves as a backup in case the power fails, and Andrew has a small amount of bottled water on board as an additional backup.
The solar panels also provide limited power for a satellite phone that Andrew can use to phone home, and for limited lighting. To the rear of the boat is a small cabin into which Andrew can crawl in the event of a storm, and a weighted para-anchor can be deployed too, so the adventurer can wait out especially bad weather and choppy seas.
The only additional creature comfort on board is Andrew’s iPad. Given that you can’t hold a book or magazine, or watch a screen during a transatlantic row, headphones become your best friend. A prolific fan of podcasts, Andrew is working his way not only across the Atlantic, but through pretty much every history or politics-themed podcast available online. Andrew is also learning to speak Italian via an app and his headphones, which means he should parla davvero bene l’Italiano by the time he reaches Antigua… although we don’t think anyone’s dared to point out that the island’s dominant languages are English and Creole. Hopefully he won’t be too disappointed when he realises that few if any of the island’s 95,000-ish residents share his new-found linguistic talent.
Of course, we were crass enough to ask Sallyanne about how to perform one’s ablutions whilst in the middle of the Atlantic… the answer to which is in a bucket, which is then thrown overboard.
Washing isn’t a problem, since Andrew is hardly lacking in the availability of water, and occasionally he must venture into the ocean anyway, to clean the marine detritus off the hull since barnacles and such like cause drag which can shave a knot or so off Andrew’s overall speed.
Tethered to his boat when he enters the water, Andrew is surrounded by marine species like Dorado, a tropical species which prefers to swim near the surface. Thankfully, shark species like the Great White prefer cooler coastal waters, so such predators are rare in Andrew’s current location, although another danger of entering the water is its depth… about three miles.
Happily the water has been calm for the most part, although never perfectly still. Sallyanne says that Andrew actually prefers a little movement to the ocean as it can dramatically increase his speed – especially a good back-wind.
Climate? Well, water temperature is about 25°c, and Andrew is experiencing temperatures of about 20°c, sufficiently warm for him to row without a t-shirt – as long as he has plenty of sunblock – and a decent hat to keep the sun of his neck. During the day he’s not always alone, though. Andrew has been joined by a pod of dolphins, and by a school of flying fish, one of which leapt into the boat itself.
At night the temperature is lower enough to warrant a couple of layers, like a light fleece, and of course, with no light pollution, overnight the ocean takes on a completely different and even more isolated feel… although the reward is a spectacular display of stars overhead. Overall, Sallyanne says that Andrew is coping very well with the psychological challenges arising from his isolation, but phone calls like the one on the day of our call are always welcome.
“He’s always keen to hear any news, not just within the family but the national and international stories too,” says Sallyanne. “The other week we spoke, and he asked what was happening in the world, and when I recounted a few of the stories making headlines he remarked that perhaps he was better off where he was! He did say, though, how a digital detox has been really rewarding, with time away from screens affording a good opportunity to be at one with your thoughts.”
“I think part of the appeal of the challenge – aside from the fact that Andrew never does anything by halves – is that he’s alone with his thoughts, his memories and by extension, with Amy.”
“It’s unusual not to be with Andrew and I do miss him. He left on Boxing Day, driving down to Cadiz in southern Spain and assembled the boat and his other equipment over the next week. Once the weatherman gave him the go-ahead, he set off on 8th January.”
“Andrew’s coping extremely well, as we knew he would, which is impressive not just psychologically, but because of the physical demands on his body too.”
“An accident a few years ago saw the loss of three fingers on his left hand so he’s had to use a prosthetic glove to compensate for that, which isn’t especially comfortable. He also has blisters on his blisters, but otherwise he’s in good health.”
“We’re all really looking forward to booking our flights and meeting him in Antigua, and watching him step out of the boat for the first time in months.”
“After the inevitable hugs and tears, the first thing he’s looking forward to is an cold drink with lots of ice.”
“He’s a big fan of Coca Cola, poured over a glass full of ice, but all of the water he’s drinking on board the boat is tepid. He’s also missing proper food, so we’ve promised him a big steak and a glass of red wine when he makes land.”
Doubtless Andrew’s experiences rowing across the ocean will remain with him for the rest of his life… although his boat won’t be as permanent. ‘It has to go!’ says Sallyanne with the kind of resolute wifely tone that a husband knows isn’t up for debate.
“We’re aiming to raise £150,000 and we think the boat will have a residual value that will contribute to that figure, so apart from anything else it’s a way of increasing the amount of money we can raise… although I have to confess that I don’t trust him not to be off again if the boat stays, so I’ve put my foot down!”
Find Out More: You can track Andrew’s progress and contribute to his fundraising at www.rowforamy.com. Alternatively, Andrew’s JustGiving page can be found at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rowforamy.
Among Andrew’s sponsors is Delancey, whose Founder & Chairman Jamie Riblat says: “It is our privilege at Delancey to support Andrew and his family’s plight in raising awareness and vital funds for this extremely important cause, and our thoughts are with him every day throughout this exceptional voyage. When we met Andrew last year and he told us the tragic story of losing his daughter Amy at the age of 25 to an undiagnosed heart condition, we didn’t have to think twice about supporting this fundraiser for his remarkable charity ‘Cardiac Risk in the Young.’ We are delighted to see how much money he has already raised and that the charity has already funded the testing of over 500 children.”
