An Arranmore Island mother and her two sons are preparing to row the open ocean on one of the world’s toughest endurance challenges.
Sharon, Evan and Glenn O’Donnell have entered The World’s Toughest Row for December 2026 – a challenge stretching 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean.
Rowing under the name Trasna na dTonnta, they’ll spend between 40 and 60 days at sea in a boat just over eight metres long, raising funds for the RNLI.
There will be no full nights’ sleep, no shelter from the weather, and no pause from the unforgiving sea, but the trio wants to prove that with determination, teamwork, and belief, anyone can achieve the extraordinary.
Sharon, an early years educator, previously sailed the Atlantic and Pacific as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The team were crowned as runners-up and the seed for the World’s Toughest Row was sown in Sharon at the awards event in Seattle. A video of two men rowing in a small boat across the ocean caught her eye, and she began to research a challenge she didn’t think was even possible.
Sharon initially signed up as a solo entry, but her sons, both in their early 20s, wanted to be part of it and support, so it became a family team.
Glenn is a keen footballer with his mum’s sense of adventure and Sharon and fisherman Evan both volunteer with the Arranmore RNLI all-weather lifeboat and have seen first-hand the importance of the service.
“It will be just the three of us in the boat and it’s going to be very demanding,” Sharon says of the challenge. “You have to be on the oars constantly to keep the boat moving.”
The crew plans to row in a two hours on, two hours off rotation, day and night. During short breaks they must eat, bathe, check navigation, handle communications and carry out any maintenance.
“Realistically, you might only get about an hour of rest between every watch,” Sharon says. “During the crossing it’ll be catnapping only.”
The race begins in La Gomera, where warm conditions can still bring challenging seas and “spicy weather”, as participants call it.
Crews will then cross the southern end of the North Atlantic, passing through the doldrums into calmer, hotter conditions, which can bring their own difficulties.
The boat itself offers little protection from the elements.
The family will row an R45 ocean rowing boat built by Rannoch Adventure. It’s just over eight metres long and sits only ten inches into the water. They plan to purchase a boat currently competing in this year’s race once it finishes in the coming days.
“It’s very expensive, so this is the most realistic option for us,” Sharon says. The boat is expected to arrive by March, allowing water training to begin.
Sharon travelled to La Gomera last December to watch the start of this year’s race and to meet other crews and past competitors, gaining first-hand insight into the conditions and demands of the crossing.
Around 45 boats will begin the race on the same day, two minutes apart, and once at sea, crews may never see another vessel. They will have daily satellite contact with race safety officials.
Despite the scale of the challenge, Sharon insists that life at home continues much as normal.
“We will fit the campaign around our lives and committments, we have to. There is a huge amount of work involved behind the scenes, setting up the website, social media, fundraising, and forming a committee,” says Sharon.
The support on Arranmore has been very strong since word got around about what they are doing and why.
“People are surprised, but also not surprised that we would take something like this on,” Sharon says. “People joke that you can get a flight there much quicker, but everyone has been very supportive.”
The team’s name, Trasna na dTonnta, is another nod to their island home. Irish is the family’s first language, spoken at home every day, and they plan to communicate in Irish throughout their journey.
“The name is symbolic of who we are, where we’re from, and our connection to the ocean,” Sharon says.
They are the only full Irish team in this year’s race, and the only mother and sons crew taking part.
For now, the focus is on getting to the start line.
The O’Donnells are running a GoFundMe campaign (click here) to cover the significant costs involved in securing the boat, training, safety equipment and logistics required to reach La Gomera.
Once they begin, all funds raised will go directly to the RNLI.
Details on how to support the O’Donnells through donations and sponsorship opportunities are available here: www.trasna-na-dtonnta.ie
No turning back for Arranmore mum and sons in world’s toughest row was last modified: January 16th, 2026 by Rachel McLaughlin
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