Swiss team breaks world record for the "toughest row" on Earth

A crew from Switzerland has stunned the rowing world by setting the fastest time ever for travelling halfway across the Pacific Ocean. The team was able to complete the “World’s Toughest Row” in just under four weeks.

Swiss rowing team breaks record for Pacific crossing

On July 1, the Swiss rowing team, Swiss Raw, finally made it into the city of Kauai on the island of Hawaii. The team was able to row 4.444 kilometres from Monterey, California, in 25 days, two hours and 21 minutes, smashing the world record for the “world’s hardest row” by several days - the previous record was 29 days, 17 hours and 29 minutes.

The team, consisting of Jan Hurni, Samuel Widmer, Yassin Boussena, and Ingvar Groza, were raising money for marine conservation charity Ocean Gate. In a statement given to 20 Minuten, the charity noted that the journey from Monterey to Hawaii passes through the Pacific’s most important and threatened ecosystems, home to stunning wildlife and rare marine habitats. 

"Every day we felt the power of the ocean and understood why we must protect it…Our world record is also a success for everyone committed to ocean conservation," Samuel Widmer noted. Swiss Raw is the first team ever to complete and win the World’s Toughest Row in the Pacific and the Atlantic - the 3.000-mile race from Antigua to the Canary Islands. 

Row from Moneterey to Hawaii fraught with danger

After they set off from Monterey, the four-man boat was alone, with no land, no other boats and no support vessels. Their small craft had to carry all their equipment, from medicine to food and safety gear. Only a satellite mobile phone connected them to the outside world.

If you’re thinking the crossing involved skimming across stunning flat-calm waters, think again. "What began in Monterey on June 6 was a real thriller. I checked the tracking app several times a day to see how the team was progressing in the extreme winds and waves, feeling the excitement and suffering," Ocean Care CEO Fabienne McLellan noted.

Swiss Raw team manager Yves Neupert explained that the “weather was challenging for the teams this year, as the tailwind was often lacking, requiring more rowing, and the storms during the night under a vacant moon demanded everything from the team”. “We celebrate this success – and wish the team a good recovery!” he concluded.