HMS Oardacious

This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve been reflecting on resilience, mindset and the importance of the small things that keep us mentally well. This year’s theme from the Mental Health Foundation focuses on the power of small, actionable steps. Checking in on a friend or teammate. Making time for recovery. Getting outside. Moving more. Sleeping properly. Speaking honestly. Small actions that can have a profound impact on wellbeing. At HMS Oardacious, ocean rowing has taught us that resilience is rarely built through dramatic moments. More often, it comes from consistency and connection; but ultimately doing the fundamentals well…especially under pressure. During Atlantic crossings, it was often the simple things that mattered most. Sleep. Hydration. Nutrition. Humour. Teamwork. Looking after each other before small problems became larger ones. The same principles apply in everyday life. Resilience is not about endlessly “pushing through” or pretending everything is fine. It is dynamic. It can be strengthened but it can also deteriorate if we neglect the things that keep us healthy and connected. Mindset matters too. Stress and fatigue can distort perspective, which is why strong teams create environments where people feel safe to speak honestly, ask for help and support one another. Sometimes the smallest actions can make the biggest difference.

Welcome to February. The crew have now been back on dry land for two weeks. Long enough to wash the salt out, sleep in a bed again, and start adjusting to the strange rhythm of everyday life back on land. As we reflect on 2025, we simply want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign in all its forms. Thank you to our incredible sponsors who continue to help us normalise the extraordinary. Thank you to everyone who donated, shared, encouraged, and believed. Your support allows us to keep making a real difference within our community, and we are genuinely proud and grateful for that. And finally, the biggest Bravo Zulu to our 2025 crew Rich, Liam, Addison, and Guy. What many people do not know is that at the start of 2025 we had a completely different crew lined up. For various personal and professional reasons that team had to step away. These four then stepped forward. They did so with zero ocean rowing experience in early 2025. They put their hands up and said, “I’ll give that a go.” That, in itself, says everything. It is something deeply special about people in our Royal Navy . Not daunted by challenge. Willing to step into uncertainty. Ready to commit even when they do not yet have all the answers or experience. They learned how to keep themselves safe. They learned how to operate unfamiliar kit. They solved problems daily. They fixed things when they broke, which they did, plenty of times. And they finished top 10 out of 43 teams to cross the Atlantic this year. When you pause and think about that, it is pretty remarkable. If you would still like to support the campaign, you can. The team are just a few hundred pounds short of their £15,000 fundraising target. Every pound goes to Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, helping to make a very real and very special difference within our community. Before we look ahead to what 2026 has in store, and it is going to be exciting, we simply wanted to say thank you. None of this happens without you.

It’s been a week since our rowers stepped foot on dry land and we are delighted to share this epic arrival video. It captures the emotion, exhaustion, and pride of the finish line, and marks the end of an extraordinary adventure that now forms part of our incredible legacy. We are hugely grateful for the support shown throughout the row. Thanks to your generosity, we are closing in on £14,000 raised for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines charity. With the finish line crossed, we would love one final push to help the crew reach £15,000 and maximise the impact of this crossing. Donate at link in bio Thank you to everyone who followed, shared, donated, and believed in the team. Bravo Zulu. ⚓💙 #HMSOardacious #WorldsToughestRow #OceanRowing #Legacy #Gratitude

And that’s a wrap from me on HMS Oardacious’ social media channels for @worlds.toughest.row ⚓💙 What a month. What a story. What a crew. I’ve had the absolute privilege of telling the story of Rich, Liam, Guy and Addi as they rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic and honestly, it’s been one for the books. There were big moments (finish lines, milestones, sunsets), and the tiny ones that somehow mattered just as much: – Is it a shark or is it a dolphin? – Liam proudly assuming the role of Gash Officer Hoddy – Snack packs as elite morale currency – Coke cans going missing under suspicious circumstances 👀 – Blisters, banter, moonlight, bioluminescence, and voice notes sent from the middle of an ocean 🤯 Four people at sea. A whole team behind the scenes. And a lot of heart in every mile. It’s been an absolute privilege to keep everyone up to date with the antics on board of @hmsoardacious Thank you to the crew (both land and sea) for the trust, the laughs, the honesty, and for letting me help tell the story of one of the most meaningful adventures you could take on. HMS Oardacious, thank you.

Last night, the crew were honoured to be invited to the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua & Barbuda ⚓🍹 This is a place that has become a familiar and very special stop for us over the years and, as always, the welcome was warm, generous, and full of naval spirit. We’re incredibly grateful to be included and made to feel so at home every time we arrive in Antigua. For those who don’t know, the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua & Barbuda has an international membership spanning many nations, but it’s only in Antigua that you can become a member. Members meet every evening, all year round, to hear readings from Royal Navy history and to toast His Majesty, The King, with a different traditional toast for each night of the week. The club is also deeply involved in charitable fundraising, promoting Antigua within the yachting community, and even rolling up sleeves on Sundays, clearing trails, maintaining historic sites, and keeping Antigua’s heritage alive. It’s a place steeped in history, camaraderie, and service. Yesterday evening perfectly rounded off the crew’s return to land. Thank you for the hospitality, the stories, and the rum. Until next time. So far we’ve raised £13,291.89 for the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and we are still chasing down the £20,000 goal! Still looking to donate? 🔗 Link in bio

This started with a boat, four oars, and a decision to go all in. What followed was 36 days of heat, fatigue, broken sleep, blisters, doubt, laughter, silence, and relentless forward motion. No shortcuts. No comfort. Just the Atlantic and the next stroke. Across 36 days at sea, the crew lost a combined 32 kilograms, burned away stroke by stroke under an unforgiving sun, through broken sleep and endless repetition. That’s the physical cost of rowing an ocean. Every kilo lost tells a story of effort, resilience, and pushing on when stopping would’ve been easier. But they didn’t stop. They kept going for each other, and for the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity. The men who stepped onto Captain Jim in La Gomera are not the same men who rowed her into Antigua. The ocean has a way of doing that, taking what you bring, and giving something harder-earned back. HMS Oardacious crossed 3,000 miles of ocean to raise funds and awareness for the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity. The rowing may be over, but the impact doesn’t have to be. If you’ve followed the journey, shared a post, or felt even a moment of pride watching them arrive, please consider donating. Help turn miles rowed into lasting support. HMS Oardacious. The fifth crossing. Lasting purpose. 🔗 Link in bio https://givestar.io/gs/hms-oardacious

We asked the boys for an update on life after rowing the Atlantic… Liam replied: “We are still eating.” (Exhibit A: this photo 🍽️😅) Post-row reality is kicking in. Their bodies are still feeling a bit off-kilter after weeks at sea, having lost muscle used for everyday things like walking. Sounds mad, but when you’ve lived in extreme close quarters with almost no room to move, it’s been nothing but rowing, rowing, and more rowing. Recovery is underway, appetites remain undefeated, and the journey isn’t quite over yet… We’re still fundraising and so close to the £10k target. Any extra donations right now would be absolutely amazing and hugely appreciated. 🔗 Link in bio 💙⚓ https://givestar.io/gs/hms-oardacious

Back with Captain Jim ⚓🧼 The crew are reunited with Captain Jim for a full clean and inspection after her Atlantic crossing. Every mark tells a story, but she’s earned a proper scrub after carrying the lads safely across 3,000 miles of ocean. Next stop: shipping back home to @rannochadventure . It’ll be the last time we see her for a little while, but what a journey she’s just completed. Fair winds, Captain Jim. Until next time. 💙⚓ If you’d still like to donate in support of the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, the lads would be beyond happy to see the fundraising total continue to climb. https://givestar.io/gs/hms-oardacious

3,000 miles✅ 30ft waves✅ Sheer endurance💪 A team of Royal Navy personnel have completed the World's Toughest Row — rowing across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua against heat, exhaustion and the ocean itself

Nearly 24 hours since the crew landed in Antigua and it’s been full recovery mode ever since. Sleep in a proper bed with a real mattress.
Catching up with friends and family.
Eating all the food.
And yes… there may have been a few beers involved 🍻
(There was definitely a cold, full-fat Coke.) The crew want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated, followed, messaged, and supported them throughout their 3,000-mile Atlantic crossing. Every bit of encouragement truly helped carry them across the ocean. 💙 If you’d still like to donate in support of the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, the lads would be beyond happy to see the fundraising total continue to climb. 🔗 Link in bio https://givestar.io/gs/hms-oardacious 🎥 @worlds.toughest.row

Congratulations to the 2026 HMS Oardacious team on an extraordinary achievement - completing the @worlds.toughest.row in just 36 days. The team of four serving personnel finished an impressive 7th overall, demonstrating exceptional resilience, teamwork and determination in one of the most demanding endurance challenges on the planet. Taking on this challenge to raise vital funds for the mental health and wellbeing of serving personnel and their families, their efforts will have a lasting impact far beyond the finish line. A remarkable achievement. Well done to all involved.

Arrival Video💥 @hmsoardacious 🇬🇧 Our incredible team of four consisting of Addi, Rich, Liam & Guy representing the UK have crossed the finish line in Antigua in: 🏁 36 days, 23 hrs and 3 min. Congratulations Team🎉 ➡️ Did you miss the LIVE Broadcast of the arrival? Watch it back our YT channel World’s Toughest Row. 📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook for LIVE daily updates from the ocean. 💥 43 Teams 💥 114 Rowers 💥 20 Nations 🏝️ La Gomera ➡️ Antigua — 3,000 miles 🚣🏼‍♂️ #WorldsToughestRow #OceanRowing #extremesports