From The Golf Course Green To The Ocean Blue, Taking A Challenge

Two Yorkshire-based solicitors met at a golf club, became friends, and are taking on a massive challenge.

David Knaggs and Richard Larking regularly enjoy playing golf, both winning and losing silverware. However, they also share a desire for a greater challenge than the fairways and sand traps of a golf course.

In December 2025, they will be facing the intimidating test of crossing the mighty Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat. 

They have called the challenge green2blue, recognising the connection between playing golf and rowing the ocean.

They are going to compete in the ‘World's Toughest Row 2025', a classic challenge, rowing the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera, Canary Islands, to Antigua & Barbuda's English Harbour, covering a demanding 3,000 miles unsupported. It is an opportunity to test themselves against Mother Nature by rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

These two men are in the prime of their lives. David will have just turned 60, and Richard 59, when the 2025 challenge starts. The two qualified solicitors and fathers of two children are relishing setting themselves such an extreme challenge, seeking to show that age is just a number and that with the required motivation, anything is possible.

It’s no straightforward challenge. Richard and David will row in excess of 1.5 million oar strokes over the trip. They will row for two hours and sleep for another two hours, every day, without interruption. The waves they will experience can measure up to 20 feet high. At its deepest, the Atlantic Ocean is 5.28 miles deep.

This is no easy feat; it tests strength, stamina, and endurance, not to mention the mental challenges they will encounter. They face an intense battle against sleep deprivation, hallucinations, salt sores, and physical extremes as they strive to conquer the demanding journey in under 55 days.

Why are they taking on this intimidating challenge? They not only want to challenge themselves, but they also see it as a chance to support two charities that are dear to them.

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They are using the opportunity to support two great local charities, 'Maggie's Yorkshire' and 'Friends of Alfie Martin'.

Maggie’s Yorkshire is a warm, welcoming place in the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Leeds where people with cancer and their families and friends can meet others who are experiencing the same thing as them, find support groups specific to their needs, and get advice and information from the expert staff. This year Maggie’s Yorkshire will support 15,000 visits to the centre.

https://www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-yorkshire/

The Friends of Alfie Martin raise vital funds to purchase much needed state-of-the-art life-altering and life-saving medical equipment for the Leeds Centre for Newborn Care, which cares for the sickest newborn babies from across Yorkshire. Approximately 1,600 babies are treated at the centre each year.

https://www.friendsofalfiemartin.org/



The guys are holding a charity ball next year on Saturday, 21st June 2025, at Harrogate Pavilions. It’s promises to be a great night and raise money for these fantastic causes. Now is the time to put the date in your diary, and more details will be coming out soon.