An East Midlands businessman has completed a solo row across the Atlantic in memory of his daughter – raising £170,000 for charity.
Property developer Andrew Osborne, from Rutland, completed the 3,000 mile solo mission when he landed in Antigua, more than 11 weeks after leaving the Canary Islands in January.
The 57 has raised around £170,000 for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which supports heart screening of young people between the ages of 14 and 35
Mr Osborne’s daughter Amy died in her sleep in 2017 at the age of 25 from an undiagnosed heart condition. She had had a love of water and the sea.
He said the 78-day row had been anything but plain sailing, telling reporters: “I faced an initial 72 hours of extreme sickness and problems with the boat’s autohelm shortly after setting off, and later there was troubleshooting with contact due to a faulty satellite.
“At several points I had to abandon my oars for a parachute anchor, to steady my position amid unruly waters and searingly hot gusts and I even experienced a turbulent capsize but thankfully emerged unscathed.
“At the other extreme was frustratingly calm waters which were soon overthrown by a cataclysmic storm towards the end of my journey which threatened to push me back off course altogether right before the finish line.
“Despite the challenge, each painstaking mile has been worth it, and it is the most humbling and rewarding feeling to know that every pull on the oars will give at least one young person the chance to receive lifesaving tests and be spared from experiencing the same tragic fate as Amy did.”
Software company MHR and menswear firm Charles Tyrwhitt were among the row’s sponsors.
MHR chairman Jessica Mills said: “The combined support of MHR and other sponsors has raised much-needed funds and awareness for Andrew’s efforts and the vital work that CRY do.
“With Andrew’s Rutland roots, this is a cause that feels very close to home for MHR as an East Midlands-based business.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Andrew and CRY for such a worthy cause and as a very fitting memorialisation for Amy.”
Each week in the UK, 12 apparently healthy young people die from undetected heart defects, with four-fifths (80%) of them never exhibiting or feeling any symptoms.
Dr Steven Cox, chief executive at CRY, said: “We are privileged to continuously receive inspiring support from families such as Amy’s who sadly know all too well the pain of losing a loved one at a young age to sudden cardiac death.
“I always admire how these bereaved families are able to channel their own traumatic experience to prevent others suffering a similar loss, by undertaking amazing awareness and fundraising challenges such as Andrew’s rowing event.
“CRY’s mission is to give every young person the opportunity to have their heart tested. Since we don’t receive any government funding, it is only through the generous support of various communities throughout the UK that we are able to provide our free, UK-wide screening programme to the public.
“Anyone interested in booking a free screening or finding out more details about an upcoming local event, can do so at www.testmyheart.org.uk”
Andrew Osborne’s JustGiving page can be found here.
