About Us
Our race is organised by rowers who have been there themselves, meaning GB Row’s priority is to ensure teams have an enjoyable and safe race round the spectacular British coastline.
GB Row founders Will de Laszlo and Jim Bastin’s vision for the race is to not only host the toughest rowing challenge in the world, open to private boats and entries, but to also add a powerful sustainable purpose to the event, leaving a legacy in the sport of ocean rowing for our environment.
Meet The Team
William De Laszlo
Founder
William is an Inaugural Guinness World Record Holder who has twice circumnavigated Great Britain by rowing boat. In 2005 and again in 2022.
Jim Bastin
Director of Operations
Jim set a new World Record in 2005, when he and William rowed around Great Britain in 26 days, 21 hours and 14 minutes.
Paddy Gallagher
Navigation & Seamanship Coach
Paddy was a member of the Row2Recovery team, the first all amputees to row the Atlantic in TWAC 2015.
Professor Fay Couceiro
An expert in environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth, Professor Couceiro's research involves engineering solutions to resolve pollution issues. She also leads the University's Microplastics Research Group.
Jon Churchill
Jon's main role is as General Manager of Porvair Filtration Group, a GB Row Challenge partner. He works hard to design and maintain the scientific equipment on the rowing boats to ensure they are collecting valuable data.
Laura Fantuzzi
Laura is responsible for analysing the ocean pollution data collected by rowers. She is a student at the University of Portsmouth and is also taking on GB Row Challenge 2024 with an impressive team of female scientists.
Dr Kat Bruce
The founder of NatureMetrics, Dr Bruce is a leading expert in the use of environmental DNA for biodiversity assessment. She rowed around Great Britain in 2022 and is rowing again in 2024 as skipper of team Sea Change.
Sophie Wagstaff
Sophie is an experienced PR professional who works part-time for GB Row Challenge. A former windsurfer and regular beach-goer, she's passionate about protecting our oceans. Please email comms@gbrowchallenge.com
Alex Mair
Alex is a Product Manager for our lead technical partner, Harwin. His technical expertise is invaluable when it comes to designing the specialist scientific equipment on the boats.