Man aiming to become first Maltese to row solo across the Atlantic

When the World’s Toughest Row sets off on Thursday from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, one Maltese man will be attempting to make history.

Steve Chetcuti, 55, is aiming to be the first Maltese to row the Atlantic solo and unsupported.

This will not be Chetcuti’s first time on the ocean; in 2021, he joined a five-person crew rowing just under 6,000km from Portimão in Portugal to Kourou in French Guiana in 51 days, 18 hours and 1 second.

This time, Chetcuti will be one of 43 teams participating in the race, but he will be on his own.

The gruelling 4,800km journey from La Gomera to English Harbour in Antigua is expected to take him between 50 and 60 days.

During the crossing, he will row for 13 to 16 hours a day and is expected to face waves of up to five metres, while battling sleep deprivation, pain and even fatigue-induced hallucinations.

Steve Chetcuti will the be second-to-last boat to depart from La Gomera on Thursday. Photo: World Toughest Race

'You do not conquer Mother Nature'

Speaking to Times of Malta from La Gomera, Chetcuti stressed that the challenge was not about conquering the ocean: “You do not conquer Mother Nature. Mother Nature allows you to cross the channel. It is important to remember this. She could let you through in 50 days or keep you with her for longer.”

Rowing under the team name Cross Rower, Steve’s home on the water will be a 7.3m Rannoch 25 boat named Kamila, named after his three daughters Kim, 21, Mia, 18, and Lea, 16. By the time he completes his adventure next February, he will have missed Christmas and two of his daughters’ birthdays.

Following his first ocean endeavour in 2021, Chetcuti had sworn he would “never do it again”.

“In fact, my precise words to my family were: if I ever say I’m going to do this again, rip my arm off and beat me flat with it. When I decided to do this row, my eldest daughter actually slapped me,” he said.

'Everything is on me'

Training was as gruelling as the race itself, especially as he will have no one else to rely on.

“Last time, I still trained alone, but the mentality was different. I was part of a team. This time I trained knowing that I have to do everything – not just rowing but navigating, fixing anything that breaks. It’s a very different mindset”, he said.

“Everything is on me: the good, the bad and the ugly. If I don’t make it, it’s my fault. But if I succeed, it’s my thing as well. It’s a big challenge with myself.”

While sounding calm and focused, Chetcuti’s final days on land have been a whirlwind of meetings, training sessions and prep work under the organisers’ watchful eyes. Fear, he admits, is never far away.

“My biggest fear at the moment is pure failure. That’s something all the race participants feel. I want to succeed. During the row itself, I know that missing my wife and kids will pull me down. There’s also the physical fear of capsizing, which is terrifying when your whole world flips upside down.”

Steve Chetcuti on one of his final preparatory rows before setting off on his Atlantic crossing. Photo: World's Toughest Row

'An incredible challenge'

Yet the positives outweigh the fears: “It’s an incredible challenge. By the end of it, I will be one of only 200 people who have crossed the Atlantic twice. I’m looking forward to the solitude of the ocean". 

Chetcuti said he would be "one with the elements, fully immersed in nature".

"The wildlife is fantastic, and the skies are an orchestra of colours – the morning oranges, the rainbows, the greys and splendid blues. At night, there’s a tapestry of stars and the Milky Way.”

On board the 1.7m-wide boat, Chetcuti will follow a routine of sleeping roughly four hours a night and rowing in intervals of three to four hours, with breaks to rest and maintain the boat.

He will carry around 600,000 calories of food. Despite consuming about 6,200 calories daily, he expects to lose around eight kilogrammes in body weight. Fresh water will be produced via an onboard reverse osmosis pump, and his toilet is simply a bucket.

Steve Chetcuti will be rowing around 13 to 15 hours a day and hopes to complete the challenge in approximately 55 days. Photo: World's Toughest Row

Christmas treats

His first Atlantic crossing in 2021 was in memory of his brother Michael, who died from cancer, and to raise funds for Hospice Malta. This time, Chetcuti will raise awareness about loneliness, which affects more than half of Malta’s population. He is also supporting the musical theatre group Margerita, which raises funds for charitable causes, including Hospice Malta.

Having already said goodbye to his three daughters back home in Switzerland, where he has lived for over 20 years, Chetcuti will have his wife, Desiree, with him at the start line in La Gomera. He will carry letters and mementoes from his family for emotional support, although he feels better prepared this time.

“I’m so much better prepared that I may not need them as badly as last time. But you never know. The race organisers will call me every day to check in, and I’ve told them that if I say I want to quit, they must urge me to keep going.”

Every day on the ocean will be a relentless challenge against the elements and himself. He will not stop until he reaches his destination, not even for Christmas, though he has packed a small treat.

“I have two packets of freeze-dried cheese fondue: one for Christmas Day, one for New Year’s. It will probably taste terrible, but I won’t stop to celebrate. It’s just another day. I also have a small set of Christmas lights with me, but I won’t keep them on long because they attract flying fish.”

Race begins Thursday

The race is expected to begin at around 11.30am on Thursday, weather permitting, with boats departing every three minutes. Solo competitors will set off last, and Chetcuti will be the second-to-last boat to depart.

The World’s Toughest Row website will livestream the start, and each participant’s journey can be followed online via the site or through the YB Races app.

Chetcuti, who is affiliated with the Siggiewi Rowing Club, will have internet access and is expected to post occasional updates on his Instagram account.