A FOUR-WOMAN crew from Jersey rowing across the Atlantic has a mere 80 nautical miles remaining between them and their destination.
Hopes that the Intrepid 232 crew – made up of Julie Brady, Helene Monpetit, Rosemary Satchwell and Alison Smithurst – would reach the shores of Antigua over the weekend were dashed when strong winds brought them to a near standstill on Saturday morning.
Having achieved daily distances of around 70 nautical miles earlier in their seven weeks’ racing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, the crew drifted eastward early in the weekend – despite deploying their “para-anchor”.
It is now estimated that the crew will arrive in Antigua in the early hours of Tuesday morning and at 4pm on Sunday, there were less than 80 nautical miles to go – out of a nearly 2,600-nautical mile journey.
A spokesperson for the team, writing on their social-media page, said that the tough conditions had proved to be “one final psychological test”.
According to their social media, the crew are currently further south of Antigua than any crew in the challenge’s entire ten-year history.
However, a strong southerly wind should push the team north over the course of Monday.
Intrepid 232 are still on track to break the record of the oldest female crew to row any ocean, with their combined ages – 232 – above the previous record of 188 years, which was set in 2016 by a team from Yorkshire.
While their destination may still be out of reach, the team have now surpassed their fundraising target of £10,000.
Half the proceeds will go to the Grace Crocker Foundation, which supports families while children receive medical treatment in the UK, with the remainder going to the Blue Marine Foundation, which works to protect the ocean by addressing overfishing.
The team’s fundraising page can be found at gofundme.com/atlantic-ocean-rowing-challenge-2023, while more details on the race, including a tracker for the team’s latest position, can be found online at worldstoughestrow.com.
