On 29 May 2026 the Rotary Club of Roundhay celebrated its 65th Charter night with a dinner at Alwoodley Golf Club. District Governor Anne Sutcliffe proposed a toast to the club, in which she generously listed our continuing efforts to serve our community by direct action as well as fundraising.
It is true that we put in some hard work to achieve our goals, but we’ve never had to put our lives on the line while fundraising for charity. On Friday night we met two remarkable men who did just that.
In December 2025 Richard Larking and David Knaggs, two solicitors and golfing friends from Alwoodley Golf Club, set off from the Canary Islands in a tiny rowing boat in towering seas, to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. By the time they arrived in the Caribbean 45 days later, they had raised £230,000 for charity.
Richard and David told us of their hair-raising adventure in taking part in what is known as The World’s Toughest Row challenge. Those prepared to row across an ocean are a rare breed, subjecting themselves to the physical effort of 114 back-to-back marathons, in circumstances of great discomfort and constant danger. One man must row unassisted to keep the boat moving. The other crew member has to make fresh water, check navigation systems, clean the solar panels, monitor the battery levels, attend to personal hygiene to reduce the risk of salt sores, and eat and sleep. Alternating in two hour shifts throughout the day, there is only time for one hour of sleep per shift.
They prepared meticulously for two years but could not eliminate serious risk. When they set out from La Gomera on 14 December, having waited two days for the horrendous weather to improve, and with two recent fatalities off the coast of Tenerife, the waves rolling in were still 11 metres tall.
On the third day their freshwater making machine broke down. Eight hours later and after a telephone call with the manufacturers, Richard had managed to fix it. Next, a solar panel failed, but after more discussions with the manufacturers, Richard amazed them by fixing the problem by rewiring the entire boat. David’s wife later asked him what he was doing while Richard was using his amazing technical skills to save the mission. ‘I told jokes, and made the coffee’.
Further into the voyage, there was a near collision with a trawler that had not seen the tiny boat in the heavy swell.
Over a month into the voyage, on 18 January the most serious incident occurred in rough, heavy seas. As David was rowing through the night, with lightning flashing everywhere, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of impending doom. He tried to keep calm by controlling his
breathing, but was knocked out when the boat was capsized by a wave and he was swept into the sea. Tied to the upturned boat, he regained consciousness, to discover that Richard had been sleeping in the cabin when the boat had turned upside down, banging his head.
Although the weather remained rough, the two men managed to right the boat and heroically continued with the rowing. On another occasion after hours of torrential rain, David burst into tears, thinking he couldn’t continue. Anticipating such a moment, they had put a sign on the top of the cabin to remind them ‘No one made you do this, you chose to go.’ That motivational message worked its magic, and the voyage continued to a successful conclusion.
David and Richard told us that they were inspired by the knowledge that the money they had raised was already being put to use to save lives. They divided the money between two local charities: Maggie’s Yorkshire Cancer Care, and Friends of Alfie Martin, which raises funds for life saving equipment for critically ill babies. Details can be found on their website https://www.greens2blue.co.uk/
They each feel that theirs was a life changing experience, helping them to appreciate what really matters in life – family and friends, helping others, and getting day to day problems into perspective. They inscribed their five core values on the side of the boat: persistence, resilience, empathy, humour and honesty.
This was an inspiring talk by two remarkable men. In proposing a vote of thanks, President John Hartley, a fellow golfer, remarked that after their experiences, a critical 3 foot putt would hold no terrors, and it was no coincidence that David won the Club golf competition this year.