Spirit of Hospitality team report 'interesting' 24 hours after capsize

Genuine Dining chief executive Chris Mitchell, who is a week into a mammoth row across the Atlantic to raise money for Hospitality Action, called shore to report an “interesting 24 hours” after he and colleague Robbie Laidlaw’s boat capsized.

In a message shared on the Spirit of Hospitality team’s Instagram page Mitchell said: “We had an interesting 24 hours… we capsized. We were flying along, probably going too fast to keep our advantage and a wave blew up and nicked us on the side and pushed the boat up. Robbie ended up in the water and I ended up upside down in my cabin, Maria [the boat] was great – she flipped back over and we were all back on.”

Mithell, who with Laidlow will row 3,000 miles from San Sebastiàn in La Gomera in the Canary Islands to reach Nelson's Dockyard English Harbour in Antigua & Barbuda, said the pair had also had problems with the battery of their auto-tiller and had to hand-steer the boat.

However, he signed off on a cheerier note and added: “We’re coming back, we’re ready to rock and roll, we’re going to get those places back. Thanks for all the donations, we’re doing this for all the hospitality people that have hit a bump in the road. We want to raise as much money as we can for those people and it’s bloody hard out here, so please do what you can.”

The Atlantic Challenge is described as the world's toughest row, with 20-feet waves, sea valleys up to file miles deep and storms that can last for days. Mitchell, and Genuine Dining business development director Laidlaw are pushing themselves to the limit in aid of Hospitality Action, with hopes to raise £250,000.

The pair will be at sea for a minimum of 40 days, surviving on dehydrated meals and snacks totalling around 6,000 calories each per day. Chefs including Neil Rankin, Daniel Howes and Tom Kerridge are sponsoring the voyage with food and supplies for their crossing, as well as a special Christmas lunch.

Hospitality Action offer lifelines to people who work or have worked in hospitality and are in difficulty or crisis. It supports people with physical and mental health issues, poverty, addiction, relationship breakdown, domestic abuse, grief, and many other challenges. Since 2020, it has spent more than £4m awarding grants to more than 12,000 households and it has fielded over 30,000 calls to its helplines.

To support Mitchell and Laidlaw's heroic efforts click here.