Yorkshire lawyer to celebrate 60th birthday with 3,000 mile row across the Atlantic

David Knaggs from Harrogate celebrated his milestone 60th birthday in an unusual way on 6th December.

Instead of enjoying a lunch or a party with friends and family, David and his golf partner Richard Larking, were in the Canary Islands undertaking a final preparation open ocean training row just days before they start a 3,000 mile rowing race from La Gomera to Antigua in aid of two charities.

The duo, who flew to La Gomera on 30th November are taking on the infamous ‘World’s Toughest Row’ across the Atlantic on board the team’s seven-metre, state-of-the-art rowing boat, Brizo. They have so far succeeded in raising over £160,000 for two beloved Yorkshire charities - Maggie’s Home of Cancer Care and Friends of Alfie Martin.

The duo have worked with endurance coach Gus Barton since March 2024 in preparation for the race, undertaking a rigorous programme involving six training sessions each week. They have also spent nearly 200 hours open water rowing in the North Sea. The training will continue whilst they are out in La Gomera with plenty of rowing machines available for race contestants to keep them ticking over before the race starts on 12th December.

“Richard and I were golfing together three years ago when we came up with our plan to take on the Atlantic, and I suppose rowing an ocean is an unusual way to mark your 60th birthday, a lunch with close friends at our favourite restaurant in Leeds, Sous Le Nez, might have been a more typical way to celebrate the day,” said David.

Richard added: “By a strange quirk of fate there is actually an official party and fiesta hosted by the race organisers on David’s birthday. Rest assured I will do what all good wing men do and keep him safe from getting carried away!”

At ages 59 and 60, they will be one of the oldest teams competing in the notoriously challenging event and are likely to face 40 ft waves, sea sickness, sleep deprivation and potential marlin strikes during up to two months at sea, depending on weather conditions.

Racing under the team name Greens2Blue, the friends have already surpassed their original ambitious fundraising target of £150,000 and now hope to raise £200,000, equivalent to £60 for every mile of the race.

Jackie Knaggs, David’s wife, who has helped to organise many of the fundraising activities, said: “Not many people would choose a gruelling 3,000 mile row across the ocean to mark their 60th birthday, but it’s been amazing watching them prepare for this odyssey for the last three years, and we’ve all admired the discipline and dedication the training has involved. I am sure we will all celebrate David’s 60th with a few glasses of fizz when they reach the finish line in Antigua in 2026!”

A number of businesses have supported the duo’s fundraising efforts, including their headline sponsor, financial advisory and real estate firm Begbies Traynor Group, and Leeds-based corporate finance boutique Sentio Partners.

Other supporting businesses include Ginetta; Happy Drains; Optivet Referrals; Cellular Path