All in the mind as solo rower crosses the Atlantic
SOUTH African solo rower John Dempster of the Watering The Mind campaign has finished the World’s Toughest Row by completing the 4 828km Atlantic crossing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean. He did so in 63 days, 9 hours and 14 minutes.
Dempster embarked on the journey on December 12 and arrived on land last Thursday.
His Watering The Mind campaign set out to help raise awareness for mental health issues in South Africa.
Dempster partnered with the South Africa Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) to help bring awareness to the mental health struggles that he has faced in his life, while hoping to inspire other South Africans to seek help.
He was the youngest South African to ever attempt an Atlantic solo row in over 10 years, and the fourth solo rower to reach Antigua.
As he addressed the crowd welcoming him back on land, he said highlights included seeing an orca for three days, and watching a big albatross grab a fish out of the water. “It feels pretty good to step back on land but I would definitely do this again.
I enjoyed it, it’s fun,” Dempster said.
The annual race sees up to 30 teams participating from around the world. Organisers said the race structure brings together an environment where teams from across the globe gather in the race village San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to help each other prepare for the challenge of the mighty Atlantic Ocean.