Clare O’Reilly, from Wembury in Devon, is navigating both the emotional tides of personal loss and the daunting physical challenges of the Atlantic Ocean as she participates in the World’s Toughest Row. Alongside teammates Rosie Tong and Mel Jarman, O’Reilly embarked on this 3,600-mile journey on December 14, 2023. Despite battling waves that reach heights of six metres, the team has already covered over 1,800 miles.
O’Reilly’s journey is deeply personal. Just hours before her departure from La Gomera in Spain, her father passed away. Reflecting on this profound loss, O’Reilly remarked to BBC News, “Sometimes it feels like the sea echoes how you feel when you’re grieving.” She described how the pace of rowing mimics the slow process of coping with grief, saying, “You can’t move through the sea quickly. You move at the pace she decides, and that feels very much like grief.”
Although she feels her father’s absence, O’Reilly finds comfort in the belief that he is with her in spirit. “It’s incredibly difficult not having him here and not being able to send him all the pictures of the sunrise and the sunsets,” she shared. Yet, the team—known as Row with the Flow—is performing admirably, currently ranked 17th out of 44 boats and second in the women’s class. “Every oar stroke brings us closer to dry land,” O’Reilly noted, adding, “But right now we’re closer to the humans on the International Space Station than anyone on land.”
The physical demands of the race are intense. O’Reilly admitted to experiencing fear of deep water and significant waves. “The first couple of days we were looking at five, six-metre waves,” she said, describing them as “huge, absolutely ginormous.” Life aboard the rowing boat is a relentless cycle of tasks, yet O’Reilly maintains a sense of humour about it. “Everything is a flipping chore,” she laughed, pointing out the mundane activities of life at sea, like going to the toilet or boiling noodles. “But we’re enjoying it. We’re incredibly fortunate to be out here.”
In addition to O’Reilly’s team, fellow competitor Jess Smiles from North Devon is also taking on this incredible challenge with her partner Beth Murphy. As the race progresses, these women not only push their physical limits but also demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of adversity.
The World’s Toughest Row continues to test the limits of those brave enough to take part, with stories of struggle and triumph unfolding across the Atlantic Ocean. As O’Reilly and her teammates row onward, they embody the spirit of perseverance, reminding us all that even in grief, there can be strength and joy in the journey.
