UT alumni rowing across the Atlantic

On 13 December, the team Rowtalia, consisting mainly of University of Tartu alumni – Karl Jürgenstein, Kait Kaarel Puss, Arnold Rein Tatunts and Andres Käosaar – set off to compete in the ocean rowing race World’s Toughest Row Atlantic 2025.

These young men are the first Estonians to take part in this extreme open-sea challenge, during which participants row from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. The race lasts about 40 days, covering roughly 4,800 kilometres powered by human strength alone. It demands skilled navigation in the dangerous waters of the Atlantic as well as great physical and mental endurance. By 28 December, Rowtalia had completed about one third of the journey.

Karl Jürgenstein is a doctoral researcher in molecular biology at the University of Tartu, and Kait Kaarel Puss is a junior research fellow in engineering and technology. Arnold Rein Tatunts founded and led KVARK, which offers science communication, science theatre and workshops, and is a content creator at the educational innovation company FutuClass OÜ. Andres Käosaar holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Tartu and is a doctoral researcher in work and organisational psychology at the University of Central Florida. Tatunts and Käosaar are former classmates, while Jürgenstein and Puss studied in the same programme at the University of Tartu.

The University of Tartu supports the team’s endeavour financially and cheers them on. The team also carries a miniature version of the university mascot Tiksu as a talisman.

In a live broadcast on 22 December (in Estonian), the team shared how they manage one of the world’s toughest sporting challenges and the role of knowledge, mental resilience and teamwork in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more about the team’s challenge on their website. A longer Estonian story can be found in the September issue of Universitas Tartuensis.