Sevenoaks rower raises £20,000 for heart disease awareness by crossing the Atlantic
Olly Rathbone completes 3,000-mile journey to support British Heart Foundation
A Sevenoaks man has successfully completed a remarkable Atlantic rowing adventure, raising nearly £20,000 to support heart disease awareness, specifically for the British Heart Foundation.
Olly Rathbone touched down in Antigua at the end of January having spent 39 days and nights at sea, alongside his rowing partner George Attfield.
Their ambitious endeavour was motivated by the desire to contribute to the installation of defibrillators in underprivileged sports centres, after their friend Elliot was fitted with a pacemaker:
"I played rugby with Elliot who did the row solo in 2023/34. At the age of 27, he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and had a pacemaker fitted.
"He was the first person in history to complete the row with a pacemaker fitted. And he started his own charity called the Wave Wrangler Charity, which exclusively raises funds for the British Heart Foundation, specifically trying to focus on providing defibrillators in underprivileged sports centres."
We rowed in the same boat as him, which was called Pacemaker" Olly tells Greatest Hits and Hits Radio.
"I just wanted to achieve something notable and support charity, which was very motivating out there," Mr Rathbone said.
The pair began their journey in December from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, rowing over 3,000 miles across the ocean.
They aim to raise a total of £40,000.
Mr Rathbone said one of the hardest challenges was their autohelm breaking very early on:
"We had to manually steer the entire crossing, which made everything about 10 times harder," he said.
The effort supports Elliot’s Wave Wrangler Charity, which exclusively partners with the British Heart Foundation to enhance access to essential medical equipment in sports facilities.
"After an incredible adventure where we saw stars and sea life, I’m ready to rest and be a little lazy for a while," Mr Rathbone added.
Mr Rathbone continues to advocate for heart disease awareness in honour of his friend and those affected by the condition.