Pulborough Grandfather To Spend Christmas Rowing Atlantic For Children’s Hospice

As a retired Navy Search and Rescue pilot, David Coles from Pulborough is no stranger to adrenaline. 

But even he confesses to a frisson of fear when contemplating his upcoming charity challenge – rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. 

“I’m a lifelong sailor – you could say that sailing is in the blood,” says David, whose grandfather was the renowned sailor and nautical author Adlard Coles.

“In 2020, my wife Mary and I sailed across the North Atlantic and last year I returned solo non-stop.“

For someone whose working life has involved significant risk and derring-do, retirement can pose its own challenges.

“People can get quite down if they feel they don’t have something to move on to,” he says.

“I wanted something new to tick off the bucket list.”

David started thinking about new ways to experience the ocean and chose rowing.

“Until recently, I hadn’t rowed any further than a mile in a dinghy to the pub, but I bought my own coastal rowing scull and did a course,” he says.

Not long afterwards, David decided to challenge himself to raise £3,000 for his local children’s hospice, Chestnut Tree House, by rowing 3,000 miles – approximately the distance of an Atlantic crossing.

Since beginning in April this year, David has logged 670 miles and raised more than £1,000. Then, after taking part in an expedition across Scotland via the Caledonian Canal, he was offered a place in this year’s Roxy Atlantic Crossing 2024-25.

‘Roxy’ is a specially built RX80 ocean rowing boat and David will form part of a nine-person crew rowing from Tenerife to Antigua.

Although he has sailed the Atlantic before, this will be a very different proposition – involving sharing a small vessel day and night with a group of people who were strangers not long ago.

“I met them for a training week back in September and was impressed,” says David.

“We have an Iron Man, triathletes, a paramedic, a Coast Guard diver, psychiatric nurse and even a NASA employee. We have some amazing adventurers and athletes on board.

“It will be a very bonding experience, and we’ll have to look out for each other. You have to make sure your friends are eating properly, sleeping, taking care of any blisters and that everyone is maintaining good physical and psychological health.”

The expedition will begin on 1 December, weather permitting, so the crew will celebrate Christmas on board.

They hope to make a five-minute call home Christmas Day.

“I think we’re going to do a Secret Santa,” says David, “and the skipper will be wearing a Santa hat, with the rest of us in elf hats!”

The journey will take around 45 days, with the ten crew members rowing for three hours on, three hours off, 24 hours a day.

They’re carrying all supplies with them – including 30 gallons of water, a solar-powered water maker and 4,000 expedition meals.

In his solo practise rows around Chichester Harbour, David has enjoyed interacting with the seals and he’s hoping for plenty more wildlife encounters on his Atlantic adventure, including marlin, mahi mahi, whales and dolphins.

“This is a fantastic challenge, and we’re so grateful to David for supporting Chestnut Tree House,” says Alice Jalley, community fundraiser.

“It costs almost £6m each year to provide Chestnut Tree House’s care costs and with only 21 per cent of that coming from government, the support of our community is vital.

Children’s hospice care is all about living life to the full and making magical memories – and David certainly seems to be doing that with this expedition.”

The crew will head out to Tenerife in November for final training in first aid and sea survival. For David, there’s a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

“I’m a grandfather of ten and the oldest member of the crew,” he says.

“I've never done anything quite as physical as this. But the challenge is as much psychological as it is physical.

"There can be days when the weather is unsuitable for rowing and you find yourself going backwards, but you can’t give up – you just have to start again when the weather changes.

“We've got to do this ourselves, on our own. There's no support boat – it's just us and our willpower.”

To support David’s fundraising for Chestnut Tree House, click here.

You will be able to follow his journey at www.rannochadventure.com/roxy-blog 

and follow the boat on the Yellow Brick App: “Roxy Atlantic Ocean 2024/25”