Thomas Van Woensel, a dentist from Heist-op-den-Berg, came second in the world's toughest rowing race. He rowed across the Atlantic Ocean on his own, a journey of almost 5,000 kilometres raising cash for cancer research.
Thomas Van Woensel, a 31-year-old dentist from Heist-op-den-Berg (Antwerp), has completed the toughest rowing race in the world: the “World's Toughest Row”, a journey of almost 5,000 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean.
41 days for 5,000 kilometres
On 14 December, Thomas set sail from the Canary Island of La Gomera; 41 days later, he arrived in Antigua, in the Caribbean.
‘I never thought I would be here so soon,’ he told Flemish TV. ‘I suffered during the trip, but I also enjoyed it immensely. It's hard to put it into words. Thanks to the encouragement of friends and family, the trip has been such a success.’
Solo trip
Thomas rowed solo, along with nine others who also made the crossing alone. There were also 33 teams of two to four rowers. Thomas rowed for about 15 hours a day.
Satellite contact with home
‘I was able to keep in touch with my parents and support team via satellite. To combat loneliness, my friends had left messages in my cabin. During the festive season, I treated myself to a tin of tuna with peaches and meatballs in tomato sauce. Little things like that kept me going.’
Money for cancer research
During his trip Thomas raised money for the Leuven Cancer Institute.