A 67-year-old man from Hollins has rowed 3,000 miles solo across the Atlantic Ocean in the World’s Toughest Row.
Alan Fortuin spent 59 days alone at sea completing the gruelling task, racing from the volcanic shores of San Sebastian de La Gomera, Spain, to Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua.
As an army veteran with 35 years’ service and numerous endurance events under his belt, Alan is no stranger to tough challenges.
Yet, having no prior rowing experience, his latest mission across the ocean took years in the making.
Alan said: “Five years ago, I decided I was going to row the Atlantic as a solo rower, after seeing Frank Rothwell complete it.”
Frank, the owner of Oldham Athletic, became the oldest person to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in February 2021 aged 70.
“He went on to complete it again at 73 and I thought, if Frank can do it at 70, I can do it too.”
Alan started training in 2020 and during that time completed 28 million metres on an indoor rowing machine.
“Once I purchased my boat, I then had to do a minimum of 240 hours on the boat to qualify for the race,” he said.
The race started on December 14, 2025, after being pushed back due to severe weather conditions.
“We went out in quite heavy weather from San Sebastian,” said Alan.
“For the first six days, I found it very difficult.
“I had a form of sea sickness where I couldn’t really eat or drink, which wasn’t a good way to start.
“Then during the crossing I had numerous problems with my electronics.”
Alan said his satellite system was intermittent, his three satellite phones stopped working, and his auto tiller failed, leaving him to hand-steer for around 30 per cent of the row.
He even capsized on his birthday, January 21, and said: “It wasn’t the best of birthdays.”
Luckily, the rowing boats are designed to self-right if they capsize, so Alan was able to get back on track.
However, he said another rower wasn’t as fortunate, capsizing the same morning but failing to self-right.
The rower was missing for 24 hours before eventually being rescued by an oil tanker.
“That really brought it home for me,” said Alan.
“People die doing this race, it’s the fastest-growing extreme sport in the world.
“More people have been to space than have rowed solo across an ocean.”
Despite the setbacks, Alan said the wildlife he encountered was incredible.
“I saw whales, sharks, dolphins and a multitude of birds.”
Every 10 to 15 days he also had to get out of the boat to clean off barnacles, which can severely slow the vessel if left unchecked.
“I had to get out four times into the Atlantic, sometimes five miles deep, to scrape the bottom of it.”
Alan endured storms, with four-metre waves crashing around him, and a couple of days of absolute stillness.
He said the still days were even worse than the storms, with nothing but sky and sea around him.
“I would row all day, and it felt as though I hadn’t moved an inch,” he said.
In his 7.3 metre boat, Alan was one of 10 solo rowers among 42 teams in total.
Despite so many competitors, after a day and a half at sea, he saw no one for the rest of the event, except for one chance encounter.
“On New Year’s Day, 1,000 miles in, I literally bumped into another solo rower,” he said.
“It was really needed, that contact with another human being.
“We had a quick chat with each other and that was that.”
Alan spent 59 days, five hours and 14 minutes at sea in total.
He was completely alone, apart from some close calls with tankers.
“It could be scary, but it’s what I signed up for,” he said.
“As a solo, even when resting, you have to keep your wits about you.”
Alan joked that he enjoys his own company, adding that if he had done the row in a pair, one of them might have ended up overboard.
“It came with its own issues, and it took about three or four weeks after finishing to be able to sleep at night.
“I was waking up every one to two hours to ‘check my navigation’ despite being back home.”
Physically, Alan said the journey was manageable thanks to years of training.
However, his lack of sailing experience proved challenging.
He said: “It was a mistake because I didn’t understand the sea, so technically I could have been a lot more prepared.
“It was naivety on my behalf.”
During his long days alone, Alan said he began chatting with inanimate objects.
“My auto tiller became known as AT and I would chat with him every day.
“I also took the ashes of my best friend, with a tennis ball and smiley face.
“I had to have a chat with him a couple of times, he pulled me out of the doldrums.”
Alan added that his three hats all had names and became people in his head.
“A friend of mine described it as controlled insanity,” he said.
Two days before completing his voyage, Alan was able to get in touch with his wife, Noelle, and shared his concerns about adjusting back to life on land.
“We’ve been together for 30 years but got married last year,” he said.
“Our anniversary was on February 12, so I was told I had to be back by then.”
He finished the race on February 11, beating his 60-day target and arriving in time for their first anniversary.
Although supportive, Alan said Noelle was not keen on him taking on such a dangerous challenge.
The couple have four children between them, and Alan’s daughter Natalie surprised him at the finish line.
He said: “The reception in Antigua was absolutely magical.
“It was emotional and totally unexpected, far grander than what I thought, with small boats coming out to meet me like they were friends.”
With flares, flags and superyachts, Alan said he was completely overwhelmed.
He was the final arrival, marking the end of the World’s Toughest Row Atlantic 2025/26.
“I wasn’t competing, I was completing,” he said.
Alan called himself Old See Dogs, a play on words linking an old sailor with the guide dogs charity.
He used the challenge to raise awareness and funds for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
“My grandmother was blind and I was always fascinated by the work that the guide dogs do, they’re just incredible creatures,” he said.
Warrington Wolves also allowed Alan to hold a bucket collection for the charity at their ground, so he proudly displayed their logo on his boat.
Alan documented his journey on Instagram (the_oldseedogs), and donations can be made on GoFundMe by searching In Support of The Guide Dogs for the Blind (www.gofundme.com/f/in-support-of-the-guide-dogs-for-the-blind).
When asked if he will be competing in any more extreme challenges, Alan said: “I’ve been told categorically by Noelle that this is it.
“But I’ve already pencilled in Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle for three years’ time when I turn 70.”
Alan hopes to complete the ride with his four grandsons, but when it comes to solo rowing, he has put down his oars.
