6 minute read
Astro Atlantic fundraisers – truly oar-inspiring! Read how four plucky young women from Kingsbridge took on one of the world’s most dangerous and gruelling challenges, and how their bravery and determination raised over £45,000 for Devon Air Ambulance
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At the start in La Gomera, Canary Islands
Oar-Inspiring...
hile most of us hunker down in the winter months and prepare for cosy nights in by the fi re, for four intrepid young ladies from Uingsbridge, there was nothing cosy or comfortable about December ƖLjŎí and Ianuary ƖLjŎĿ.
Regular readers of Helipad may recall the story from our winter 2018 issue of these four remarkable young women. Louise Read, Helen Symons, Chloe Harvey and Emily Read, who, as the Astro to Atlantic team, were undertaking the Talisker Whisky Challenge of rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Isles to Antigua, in aid of Devon Air Ambulance. Their success and achievement were awe-inspiring and, after continued fundraising throughout the remainder of ƖLjŎĿ, they finally presented the massive sum of Ɗĉƅ,ĂĂƀ.íLjú Fntrigued to find out more about their challenge, DAA’s Debbie :regory caught up with one of the team, Belen ymons. Belen eƻplained that, far from the perception of it being a mental and physical test of endurance, she described it as Ůthe best-ever ĉĂ-day sleepover with her very best friendsŰ. The team sang, laughed, told very silly ģokes, played games and shared stories. Ůe mostly rowed in pairs, and it didn’t matter who was rowing with who, we all ģust loved it. e were all in such a good place mentally. e mostly did Ɩ-hour shifts, occasionally with a third rowing for longer for an eƻtra boost. Ft never mattered who we rowed alongside, we all ģust loved it. {oor Xou suffered terrible seasickness in the early days but never missed a stroke. The funny thing was that we’d eƻpected Xou to be the one to ůmother’ the rest of us, instead it was us ůmothering’ her and encouraging her to eat despite feeling rough.Ű There were, inevitably, some frustrations along the way. kne was the realisation that despite all their training being around coping with rough seas, high waves and hurricane-force winds, none of them had thought they would hit a weather front that was coming from the completely opposite direction to that anticipated. For several days they were simply rowing A:AFcT the wind and, conseŧuently, making far slower progress than they’d eƻpected. ŮThat was very demoralising and frustrating,Ű said Belen. ŮThere was much shouting at the time, but we were all shouting AT the wind. e would plead for it to turn so that we could row FTB it, not against it.Ű )ventually their pleas were heardú Xater, it was the sŧually winds that helped the girls
The team proudly sporting their DAA t-shirts
and, other than the issues of donning and doffing wet weather gear, they loved the speed that these winds helped them achieve. Another frustration was when the boat’s autohelm started playing up. After much scratching of heads, the girls eventually took it to bits – when they discovered that the repair was actually ŧuite simple – and a massive sense of relief was felt by the whole team. Food was a massive highlight of every day. Along with their
freeze-dried ration packs, they’d each also taken a supply of treats or snacks, some of which proved more valuable than others. “We all loved the jelly babies, fruit pastilles and wine gums and we’d plan our next single sweet treat only after we’d rowed for another 15 or 30 minutes. But we soon discovered that chocolate bars became a gooey mess as we neared the Equator!” The team had email contact with their families while they were at sea and all were delighted when they learned that the fundraising total was still increasing as sponsors and followers continued to donate. “We knew that every stroke we took was helping raise much needed funds; it was really motivational.” Their excitement for the finish gathered apace when they sighted land ahead. “After 45 days at sea, it was amazing to realise that we were THAT close to the end and we thought we would be there in about an hour. We all stayed awake, had a boat bath and found the clean, dry clothes we’d saved for the finish line… we had a group hug then rowed, and rowed, and rowed some more. Those last 10 miles seemed like forever and took about 4.5 hours - we certainly didn’t look so fresh by the time we hit dry land!” Helen continued, “Rowing in was incredible! It was 10.30pm on a Saturday night, so all dark, but we were surrounded by super yachts all lit up, other boat craft all with horns blaring, the people on the quayside and up on the local hill, all whistling, whooping and cheering – we really did feel like celebrities. We were on a high beyond our wildest dreams – we’d done it!” There was a massive welcome party for the team, that included several family members and friends who had travelled from the UK. Following some well-deserved celebrations, the team members then enjoyed some downtime on Antigua. “It was very odd in the immediate days after we’d finished, as we all realised how much we missed each other. We’d had such great camaraderie on board, and there was, not surprisingly, a bit of a come-down after.” Back in the UK, the girls were invited to speak about their epic adventure at several events, each talk generating further funds for DAA. It was a privilege to meet the girls when they finally presented their total. Caroline Creer, Fundraising Director said, “We followed this challenge from beginning to end and everyone was so thrilled when they reached the finish line. The fundraising total is just incredible and an absolute testament to their hard work, efforts and accomplishment. Thank you all.” Concluding with Helen, Debbie asked if she had any advice for the Emergensea Girls, a team of two A&E Doctors from the RD&E hospital who had planned to row the Atlantic for DAA in December 2020 but, due to Coronavirus commitments, they’ve now postponed until 2021. Helen said, “We were told, ‘A plan is only as good as its ability to change’. The doctors have already had to show resilience and adaptability with this year’s pandemic – we wish them every success for their training and the challenge next year.”
Celebrating at the Ā nish in Antigua
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