The mighty Atlantic is in the sights of a Black Isle woman after she and three others announced plans to row the entire ocean for charity.
Fiona Deakin, from Cromarty, is part of a four-strong crew of women who aim to become the first ever all-female team from Scotland to row across an ocean when they take part in the World’s Toughest Row this December – a 3000 mile race across the Atlantic in a seven-metre ocean-going rowing boat.
The whole challenge will be entirely unassisted, and Fiona, who will be familiar to coastal rowers in the Highlands through her membership of local clubs, is relishing the prospect.
She said: “Less than 400 women have ever rowed an ocean and we are excited and scared in equal measure for our challenge!
“We have quite a following in the Highlands, as I row for a couple of skiff coastal rowing clubs, Strathpeffer and District Coast Rowing Club and Cromarty Community Rowing Club.”
Joining her on the four-strong crew – which has been named Scotland the Wave – is team founder Andrena McShane-Kerr (41) from Glasgow, Nicky Matthews from Arbroath and Heather McCallum from Dunoon,
The team of four recently visited the start of 2024’s race at La Gomera in the Canary Islands, and cannot wait to be setting sail themselves when the race takes place again this coming December.
The challenge will see each of them row for two hours on and two hours off continuously for up to 60 days.
During their epic fundraising adventure they will be living off rehydrated foods, while battling salt sores, sleep deprivation, sea sickness, 40ft waves, wild storms “and a few visits from whales, sharks and blue marlins along the way”.
And the mammoth rowing feat has already raised tens of thousands of pounds for their chosen charities, with £86,134 of their initial £120,000 target already pledged towards Breast Cancer UK, the RNLI, Scottish Air Ambulance, and SIMBA – and there’s still months to go before they even hit the waves.
As they approach the monumental challenge, the women are feeling both excited and nervous.
“We’ve just returned from watching this year’s race start in La Gomera, and it’s really hit us just how massive this challenge is,” said Andrena, who founded the team three years ago. “We’re ready to give it our all, but we know it won’t be easy.”
Fiona and Nicky are both preparing to celebrate their 60th birthdays during the race. While they are accustomed to rough seas through their passion for coastal rowing, they’re not sure what to expect when faced with waves the size of double-decker buses.
Heather has unexpectedly enjoyed the fundraising efforts that Scotland the Wave has organised to fund the expedition. “From wading through rivers to collect plastic ducks for our duck race to hosting auctions, black-tie events, quiz nights, and race nights, we’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible support from our families, friends, and local businesses.”
As the first all-female team from Scotland to ever row an ocean, Scotland the Wave is calling on people to support them in any way they can. Whether it’s following their journey on social media, donating to their GoFundMe page, or supporting one of their fundraising events, every bit of help makes a difference.
For more information on the team’s journey and to show your support, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/wmhc9d-scotland-the-wave.
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