HSG alumni team wins extreme rowing race across the Atlantic

At around midnight Swiss time on 14 January, the celebrations among Team 44 West were boundless: after around 31 days on the Atlantic, the team was the first to cross the finish line of the ‘World's Toughest Row’ rowing race on the Caribbean island of Antigua. The team consisted of HSG alumni Lorenzo Henseler, Luca Fayd'herbe de Maudave and Julian Müller, as well as ETH graduate Matthias Fernandez. All four have competed in high-performance rowing and have gained experience and titles in international competitions.

Now, with a time of 31 days, 8 hours and 8 minutes and a clear lead, they have won the world's most extreme rowing race: they rowed almost 5,000 kilometres across the Atlantic, battled seaweed that got caught in the rudder and saw dolphins and humpback whales on the open sea.

Two team members sat at the oars for about two hours at a time, then there was a shift change. In between, it was important to recover as well as possible, consume up to 5,000 calories a day and get a little sleep. The team sent regular updates to interested parties, friends and family via their Instagram channel.

On board their boat ‘La Luna’ – which they had financed through crowdfunding – the HSG and ETH graduates had all their supplies and technology with them. This included a radio, cooking equipment, a water treatment system, various safety equipment, a lifeboat and pre-packed food bags. The boat also has a small cabin. Safety is a top priority in the race: the teams are tracked around the clock via GPS, are in daily contact with the organisers and receive updates on the weather and other factors.

Euphoric and physically exhausted

The four young Swiss men were euphoric when they reached their destination in Antigua in glorious Caribbean weather, but they were also physically exhausted from the exertions. To celebrate, the four young men lit the emergency signal flares on the boat, which fortunately they had not needed at sea. On land, the extreme athletes were first given a few cans of cola during the victory interview.

By participating in the race, the four are also supporting marine biodiversity: they are using crowdfunding to promote the construction of a coral reef in the Philippines. The ETH spin-off rrreefs will use the money to build an artificial reef, which will then be naturally colonised. This will promote biodiversity. So far, 44 West has raised almost CHF 40,000, and donations can still be made until 21 January.

The World's Toughest Row is one of the most extreme challenges in endurance sports: In mid-December 2025, over 40 teams from all over the world set off on the Atlantic route of the legendary rowing race. The start took place, as is traditional, in San Sebastián on La Gomera (Canary Islands), from where the participants rowed around 4,800 km – about one eighth of the circumference of the world – across the Atlantic, without any motorised or wind-assisted aids.