70-year-old grandfather who crossed the Atlantic encourages seniors to ‘find a challenge’

A grandfather who became the oldest person to row 3,000 miles unassisted across the Atlantic has encouraged older people to “stay active and challenge themselves”.

Frank Rothwell, 70, from Oldham, set off from the Canary Island of La Gomera on December 12 and crossed the finish line in Antigua in the Caribbean on Saturday – where he had just enough time before Valentine's Day to be reunited with Judith, his wife of 50 years.

This success also raised over £720,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK's dementia research.

The adventurer previously spent five weeks on a deserted island for a Bear Grylls television show, rowing alone in a boat nicknamed “Never Too Old.”

“I think a lot of us older people don't use our skills to pursue our hobbies,” Rothwell told the PA news agency.

“You should think of something that is difficult… maybe you have physical limitations, but do something that challenges you.

“This will prolong your life – an interest, something worth getting up for in the morning.

“When I get home from here, I'm going to build a six-ton ​​steam locomotive from scratch in my garage… I can't wait to get started.

“Judith is really happy because she said, 'This will keep you anchored at home for a while.'”

Despite his age, Mr Rothwell finished fourth out of eight solo boats taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

He said most competitors' boats functioned on the basis of two hours of rowing and two hours of sleep, but he treated the task like a normal day.

“I would start in the morning when it gets light,” said Mr Rothwell.

“Because of the cramped conditions on the boat, it took me an hour and a half to get up, brush my teeth, take my pills, prepare my breakfast… and make sure I called everyone.

“One of my conditions for coming here was that I called Judith every day.”

After breakfast, Mr. Rothwell generally rowed in two- or three-hour shifts, with 10- or 20-minute breaks in between and breaks for meals – finishing the day's rowing by nightfall.

“It was hard. I can't imagine anything could be that difficult,” he added.

“It's easy to die…if you fall over the side and you're not hooked, you're dead – there's no getting around it.”

Mr Rothwell said he would jump into the sea about once a week wearing a safety harness to scrape barnacles off the bottom of the boat and increase speed.

When he finally reached the finish line two months after starting, Mr Rothwell said the feeling was “euphoric”.

“It’s a really emotional part, a very special feeling,” he said.

“The place was full of mega superyachts and everyone was honking. That was fantastic for me.”

Mr Rothwell added that he was “proud” that his family had allowed him to take part in the race, as six years ago he wanted to cross the Atlantic in a sailing boat but they would not allow him to do so.

“Then I become an old codger and ask, 'Can I row across the Atlantic by myself?' and they say, 'Oh yes, you can' … that's not logical,” he laughed.

Mr Rothwell said the money raised for Alzheimer's research was a tribute to his brother-in-law Roger Wheeldon, who died of the disease aged 62 during their fight.

Mr Wheeldon also had Down syndrome and had lived in a nursing home for the past 30 years.

“It motivated me and gave me time to reflect on Roger and his life,” Mr Rothwell said.

Mr Rothwell had set himself the goal of raising £1 million for Alzheimer's Research UK and it looks set he will achieve his goal after the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation pledged to match the first £500,000 of his donation.

If you would like to support Mr Rothwell's cause you can donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/frankrothwell.