Falmouth’s Marrick Palmer had never rowed. Now it’s the Atlantic

Two hours rowing. Two hours to eat, wash, use a bucket as a toilet and grab whatever sleep you can. Then back on the oars. Repeat that, day and night, for around 40 days in the middle of the Atlantic.

That is what Marrick Palmer has signed up for this December. And until he joined the crew, he had never rowed before.

A Falmouth lad in a submariners’ crew

Marrick, 27, grew up in Falmouth, went to St Mary’s Primary School and Falmouth School, then Falmouth Sixth Form, and now lives in Redruth. He has served in the Royal Navy for just over seven years as a submariner, working as a Marine Engineer in the Submarine Service.

He is the only Cornish member of his four-man crew with HMS Oardacious, a team of Royal Navy submariners taking on the World’s Toughest Row. The crew will set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and row approximately 3,000 miles to Antigua in the Caribbean. Marrick’s crewmates, named on the side of the boat, are Iain Walker, Johnny Trebell and Oscar Ruane. They expect the crossing to take around 37 to 40 days.

“I wanted to take on something completely different and challenge myself,” Marrick said. “Not many people get the opportunity to row across an ocean, and I thought it would be an incredible experience and achievement.”

What life on board looks like

The crew will row around the clock on a two-hours-on, two-hours-off watch system, and they will be completely self-sufficient. They carry their own food, make their own drinking water and deal with whatever the ocean throws at them.

“The two hours off is for our admin, washing, eating, toilet (a bucket) as well as also trying to get some sleep in,” Marrick said. “The two hours off goes quickly so sleep is short and broken.”

Three-metre waves off Scotland

Training has included spells rowing off the west coast of Scotland. During one session the crew met waves of around three metres, which gave them confidence in the boat and a taste of what could be coming.

But Marrick knows the Atlantic will be harder. “The conditions we will face out there will be much worse,” he said. “My biggest concern about the crossing is definitely the weather. We can prepare ourselves physically and mentally, but the weather is the one thing we have absolutely no control over.”

He admits the Scottish training was valuable, though he’d much rather have been doing it back home in Cornwall. His family and partner have backed him all the way, although, in his words, “they all think I’m slightly mad for doing it.”

The part he is looking forward to most is arriving in Antigua and knowing they’ve made it across.

Where the money goes

The crew are raising money for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC). Money raised through HMS Oardacious is ring-fenced for the submarine community, supporting serving submariners, veterans and their families.

The crew’s initial target is £20,000, and Marrick has set himself a personal goal of £5,000. The wider HMS Oardacious campaign is aiming much higher, with a rowathon earlier this month bringing in around £27,000.

Marrick is especially keen to get personal donations in and as many people as possible following the row. You can support him through his HMS Oardacious fundraising page.

The boat is coming to Falmouth

Before the crew head for the Canaries, their ocean rowing boat is coming to Cornwall. It will be at The Haven in Falmouth at 3pm on Sunday 11 October, where the crew are hosting local businesses and sponsors who have supported the challenge, giving them a chance to see the boat and meet the team.

“I’m a Cornish boy and proud of it,” Marrick said. “Although my Navy career has taken me away from Cornwall, Falmouth will always be home. Redruth is just cheaper.”