Rowing Smarter
Building Our Ocean-rowing Toolkit
A few weeks ago, Sophie and I took a road trip to the Maritime Mecca of Burnham-on-Crouch for a deep dive into the vital skills every ocean rower must master before taking on the Atlantic. Aside from being one of the UK’s best-known sailing regattas, Burnham is also home to the brilliant Aurora Sea School and ocean rowing legend Dawn Smith, who guided us through some of the most essential aspects of seamanship.
The Mandatory Courses – More Than Just a Tick-Box
Crossing 3,000 miles of open ocean demands more than strong backs and determined minds. It requires preparation at every level — from medical knowledge to technical expertise, and the ability to stay calm when things don’t go to plan.
Over several packed days of training, Sophie and I were put through our paces:
First Aid – We refreshed and expanded our medical skills, thinking carefully about how best to respond when “professional help” is quite literally hundreds of miles away. Treating injuries, recognising the signs of hypothermia, and dealing with emergencies at sea are realities we now feel much more equipped to face.
One of the most common questions we’re asked is whether we have a boat alongside us as we row – offering support, shelter(!) and medical provision. But no, the race is fully self-supported, which means we have to take care of EVERYTHING ourselves and may at times be several days away from any kind of emergency assistance.
VHF Radio Training – Communication is lifeline number one. We learned how to use marine radios effectively, ensuring we know how to issue distress or mayday calls and maintain routine contact both with the race organisers and any vessels we may encounter. As a VERY small boat, we need to be extra vigilant to ensure that huge ships know where we are, what course we are on and if (God forbid) any collision is likely.
Navigation – Route plotting, chart work, tidal awareness, and good old-fashioned compass bearings. Of course we will have sat nav equipment, but on the Atlantic, self-reliance is everything. And not only do we need to navigate during the race, but we will have countless training rows to prepare for; passage planning is an essential part of that.
Sea Survival – This course brought it all home in a big way. In the pool, we practised life raft drills and experienced (in a very controlled way) what it might feel like to have to abandon ship. Clambering into a life raft from the water is something you hope never to have to do, but knowing we can do it is hugely reassuring!
Boat Competency – Knots, para anchors, and on-board systems such as water-makers, battery life and bilge pumps. It’s one thing to row for days and weeks on-end, but we also have to live on the boat; maintaining and managing our home under ever-changing conditions. Running out of fresh water or power for our essential electrics is simply not an option!
Each element added another layer to our teamwork, resilience, and sense of readiness for December 2026 but it also underlined the value of skill-acquisition for our gROW targets; enhancing brain health and a general sense of wellbeing. The sense of purpose and direction (whether or not you are planning a World-record breaking endeavour) gained from ongoing learning provides proven benefits for mental health and emotional balance.
It also serves to diminish feelings of overwhelm. Even if you have rowed an ocean before, it is a HUGE undertaking and literally anything can happen. But this is true of many things in life – the one universal fear is simply the fear of the unknown. Once you lean into that fear, start to break it down and become familiar with small aspects of it, the overwhelm lessens. Of course, Sophie and I are deeply motivated and incentivised to keep moving forwards with this project, but it is so easy in life to simply avoid the things we fear the most. That is how we perpetuate fears and allow our brains to create ever more-elaborate avoidance strategies.
Learning From the Legends
Having Dawn Smith as our instructor was a privilege in itself. Few people have the breadth of ocean rowing experience she brings, and her calm authority (not to mention her endless patience with our questions!) left us feeling in the safest of hands.
Another life-giving benefit of acquiring new skills is the opportunity to meet new people. None more pioneering and inspiring than fellow course participant, Roger, an extraordinary anaesthetist with a remarkable plan of his own: to PEDDLE across the Atlantic in a specially designed pedal-powered ocean boat. Swapping stories, motivations, and training anxieties reminded us that this small community of ocean adventurers share something unique — a quiet belief that impossible is just a word.
The Takeaway
Burnham-on-Crouch gave us more than certificates; it gave us perspective. Every knot tied, every call on the VHF, every drill in the survival pool stitched together the fabric of resilience we’ll need when the Atlantic is at its wildest.
There’s still much to learn, much to practise, and much to test before we set off from La Gomera towards Antigua — but these days spent with Dawn (and our fellow adventurers) were a giant leap forward for Team gROW.
This challenge is not just about strength. It’s about preparation, patience, and trust — trust in ourselves, in each other, and in the collective wisdom we gather along the way.
Vicki Anstey
Vicki Anstey is a 2 x world record holder, adventurer, coach, TEDx speaker, and entrepreneur. After a decade running a successful fitness business, she turned to extreme endurance — rowing the mid-Pacific, cycling 3,000 miles across America, and completing ultra-distance foot races in the Arctic and Kenya. A UK ambassador for Inspiring Girls, Vicki is passionate about emotional endurance and empowering the next generation to thrive under pressure.