Yorkshire duo call on Greek goddess of mariners as trans-Atlantic training gets underway

David Knaggs and Richard Larking, the duo of Leeds lawyers who plan to row across the Atlantic in 2025 to raise £100,000 for two Yorkshire charities, have taken to the waters of Tees Bay in their newly-named boat, Brizo.

The name, which refers to an ancient Greek goddess who was known as the protector of mariners, sailors and fishermen, was chosen by the team at Begbies Traynor in Wellington Place, Leeds which is sponsoring the intrepid pair as they undertake the World’s Toughest Row.

“It’s a fantastic name which we hope will encourage the gods to look on us kindly as we set sail on the 3,000-mile row from La Gomera to Antigua in December 2025. There’s no doubt that it will be a daunting challenge, particularly as we’re likely to be one of the oldest teams taking part, but we’re doing all we can to prepare,” explains David, aged 59. “We have a very experienced ocean rowing coach who has won the Atlantic Challenge himself and we are now three months into the rigorous strength and conditioning programme he has devised for us. This involves training five days a week and is already proving harder than expected, we’re having to strengthen our hips and lower backs to accommodate hours of sitting in a crouched position in a small boat.”

Richard adds, “Now that ‘Brizo’ is berthed in Hartlepool Marina, we’ve started our on-water training too,  working on our navigation skills, route planning and basic boat handling. It’s great to have reasonably easy access to the open sea although we’ve found that manoeuvring a 7.1m boat through a fairly narrow lock in strong winds and with cliffs nearby, can be quite hair-raising - in some ways, rowing across the Atlantic may actually be easier! It’s all valuable experience which is honing our skills and, while the boat is holding up well, these sea trials are also helping us to iron out any kinks in the technical aspects of handling the boat. Having just spent two days training on the North Sea, we’re on schedule to complete the 120 compulsory training hours at sea required prior to the race.”

David and Richard have pledge to raise at least £100,000 for their chosen charities, Maggie’s, which supports people with cancer, their families and friends, and Friends of Alfie Martin, which raises funds for neonatal equipment at the Leeds teaching hospitals.

The pair, who are well-known within the Leeds professional community, have already secured sponsorship from a number of regional businesses. In addition to headline sponsor, leading independent business rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor, they now have eight-hole sponsors on their 18-hole Atlantic Ocean Course: Ginetta; Happy Drains; Optivet Referrals; Cellular Pathology Services; Macintosh James & Partners Wealth Management; El Gato Negro Tapas; Middleton Law; and Richard Fahey Racing.

A number of fund-raising events are planned next year, including a Golf Day at Alwoodley Golf Club on 29 May 2025, and a black tie Midsummer Night Ball at Pavillions on 21 June 2025.

Julian Pitts, regional managing partner for Begbies Traynor’s 10 offices across Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East, adds: “We’re proud to be supporting this inspiring feat – it’s really encouraging to see two successful professionals using their skills, enthusiasm and determination to take on a new challenge, and one which will benefit many local people by raising significant funds for two valuable Yorkshire charities.”

In addition to the support from Begbies Traynor, further ‘partner’ opportunities can be found on the website: www.greens2blue.co.uk