UNFAVOURABLE weather is delaying a four-woman rowing crew from Jersey from completing a trans-Atlantic race.
Although the Intrepid 232 crew are within 170 nautical miles of finishing the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, strong winds have pushed back their projected arrival time in Antigua.
Julie Brady, Helene Monpetit, Rosemary Satchwell and Alison Smithurst have been battling the conditions, and are now set to step ashore on Sunday or Monday.
The Islanders set off from the Canary Island of La Gomera on 13 December and have rowed more than 2,500 nautical miles in the past 50 days.
The crew are hoping to become the oldest all-female crew to row any ocean, with the current record set in 2016 by Yorkshire Rows – a group of mothers in their 40s and early 50s whose children all went to the same school – who made it across the Atlantic in 68 days. A spokesperson for the crew said yesterday that weather conditions in the past few days had been frustrating, but that spirits remained good.
“It’s been a trying time, with winds blowing in different directions and then dropping so it felt like they were rowing through treacle,” he said. “But they knew the change in the weather was coming and morale is high – they will just keep on going.”
Although the crew have been using two rowers at a time for the majority of the trip, they are likely to add a third pair of hands to the oars in a bid to keep ticking off the miles.
A contingent of family members and other supporters has arrived in Antigua and are anxiously awaiting the crew’s arrival.
By yesterday afternoon, 25 of the 37 crews taking part in the race had reached the finish line, with the first crew arriving in Antigua on 17 January. Of the 12 remaining crews, the back-markers still had just under 1,000 nautical miles to row and are projected to finish during the first week of March.
Team Intrepid are seeking support from Islanders for their fundraising efforts around the challenge, with money collected to be split between the Grace Crocker Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation.
The team’s fundraising page can be found at: gofundme.com/atlantic-ocean-rowing-challenge-2023
