Oldham Athletic chairman Frank Rothwell has suffered a setback on his 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic after his boat capsized twice earlier this week.
Both incidents occurred on Monday, December 18 after turbulent conditions resulted in Rothwell being dumped into the ocean on two occasions.
Following this, Rothwell told the Daily Mail, “I was inside having battened down and when it happened it felt like being in a washing machine.
“Everything went flying and one of my emergency alarms that was strapped to the wall got ripped off and lost.”
Despite being understandably shaken up by the unfortunate events, the 73-year-old says he is now more determined than ever to finish the gruelling challenge for the second time.
“I was a bit upset at first but as the day went on I felt a lot better.
“If anything, it's given me more determination to carry on," he added.
Rothwell, from Greenfield, set off on his ‘World’s Toughest Row’ last Wednesday, December 13, looking to break his own previous record by raising over £1m for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
The row takes him all the way from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean island of Antigua.
It took the Oldham Athletic chairman 56 days to complete the row back in 2021, when he became the oldest person to cross the Atlantic, aged 70.
This year he was aiming to complete the feat in 49 days, but the unfortunate incidents earlier this week may have scuppered these plans.
Despite this, Rothwell is fixated on completing the challenge regardless.
“I was determined to win and beat my time from the last time I did it, but now if it takes an extra two to three weeks then that's fine.”
Donate to Frank Rothwell's fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research UK here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/frankrothwell
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