Galway man on course to win the World’s Toughest Row

Ocean rower Daragh MacLoughlin, 42,  before setting off on his mammoth 4,800km solo Atlantic crossing, is set to reach Antigua on Friday. Picture: World's Toughest Row

An Irishman is on the verge of winning the World’s Toughest Row — a gruelling 4,800km journey across the Atlantic.

Daragh MacLoughlin, 42, has powered through over 4,000km of treacherous seas from the Canaries and is expected to reach Antigua by Friday. If his current progress continues, the Galway businessman will take top spot in the solo category.

On Sunday, he was 80 nautical miles ahead of his nearest rival, Belgium’s Thomas van Woensel on ‘Madlantic’.

Daragh signed up for the extreme race to test his own boundaries, but also to raise €10,000 for two Irish charities — Debra, which supports those living with ‘Butterfly Skin’ disease EB, and Irish Dogs for the Disabled.

Generous supporters on his fundraising page idonate.ie/fundraiser/thejasper have already pushed him over the €12,000 mark.

But the scale of the challenge dawned on the father-of-two just days after leaving the Canary Islands on December 12.

“There was a huge mountain to climb, in the first few days, it dawned on me that I had another month plus to do, and that was hard,” said the Clarinbridge man via WhatsApp audio from his carbon-fibre boat The Jasper, named after a family dog.

“But now the tables have turned and I have less than a week to go. The biggest challenge has been an eight-nine day period of no wind.

“It meant that progress was frustrated largely, my mileage went from 75 miles a day down to 50.” 

Daragh said he experienced another low point once he was overtaken by multi-crew teams who could power on despite the lack of wind.

Dolphins

However, one of his most exhilarating experiences involved being trailed by a pod of dolphins as the seas turned menacing.

“Two waves from different directions were joining and they were just colliding and going upwards and there was a real risk of them breaking, going over the boat and capsizing me.

“In that moment, about 200 dolphins emerged from the water, as if I had called them, and swam under my boat, they spiralled, looked up at me and went up the waves, just underneath the water line, reached the top of the wave, turned round, came back down underneath my boat, spiralled and did this several times.

“It was as if to show me that it was alright, these waves could be surfed and there was no need to have any fear."

Daragh says he has been fortunate to speak daily with his wife Suzanne and their daughters Maeve and Saoirse via satellite phone — and looks forward to an emotional reunion at the finishing line in Antigua.