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“We really hope that in following years, other rowing teams will see that it’s not that hard to be sustainable on the boat.”
A moment in history
More people have been to space than rowed an ocean so when the Bristol Gulls became the first ever crew to row across the Atlantic in an eco-boat, history was made. Millie Bruce-Watt caught up with the trailblazers...
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ristol’s very own all-female four-boat, the Bristol Gulls, have made it into the history books after rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean – in a boat made of 10,000 recycled plastic bottles. For what has become known as the world’s toughest row, 20 boats took part in this year’s Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which saw Sofia Deambrosi, Lorna Carter, Phoebe Wright and Sarah Hunt spend nearly 47 days at sea. The crews, which comprised of solo rowers, pairs, trios and fours, set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12 December, with the first boat arriving in Antigua just four and a half weeks later. Along with the Gulls’ eco-boat, this year’s race saw a number of world firsts. The crew named Row4Cancer became the fastest pair to row the Atlantic in just 32 days; Jasmine Harrison became the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean at just 21; Frank Rothwell, 70, became the oldest person to row the Atlantic solo; and the Gulls’ skipper, Sofia, is now the first Uruguayan to ever row an ocean. Together, the Gulls survived seasickness; battled scorching temperatures; endured relentless 30-foot waves; and overcame capsizing to raise awareness and money for the RNLI in Portishead and Clean Up Bristol Harbour. Just a few days after the Gulls stepped back on land, we caught up via Zoom with Sofia, Phoebe and Lorna, who were at the harbour, enjoying the Caribbean’s sun-warmed waters. “We all feel a massive sense of pride in ourselves,” says Phoebe; “it’s such a team effort. You’re totally alone out there so it was a massive achievement that we got through it, with amazing memories and still amazing friends.” On becoming the first Uruguayan to ever row an ocean, Sofia beamed. “I’m just super proud. It’s awesome to be representing the country. We’re representing so many things; Bristol, Uruguay, England, Scotland for Sara but also we’re the first eco-boat to ever take part in the race – and hopefully the first of many.” 38 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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MARCH 2021
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The Gulls’ eco-boat sits at the very heart of this adventure. Appropriately named Vaquita after a critically endangered porpoise found off the coast of California, the Gulls’ achievement proved that a boat made of sustainable materials could house and propel four people across the world’s second largest ocean – all while battling the unforgiving elements. The boat, built by Rannoch Adventure, was constructed using renewable energy. It had no engine; the crew used a solar-powered desalination unit to convert seawater into freshwater, and its foam core was made up of recycled plastic bottles. Their motto, painted down one side, read “trailblazing sustainability”. “What that meant is that we’re willing to put ourselves in a more vulnerable position to try it out,” explains Phoebe. “We really hope that in following years, other rowing teams will see that it’s not that hard to be sustainable on the boat.” “Rannoch Adventure basically took their standard model and just modified the materials and manufacturing processes to be more sustainable and have less impact on the environment,” adds Lorna. “Then they looked at their supply chain and spoke to more eco suppliers and introduced some plant-based resins – it’s really cool what they’re doing and it’s been really fun for us to put it to the test on the ocean. We really hope that the processes can be made more standard.” Although the Gulls admit that not everything they used on the boat stood the test of time on the ocean, with some sustainable food bags failing to withstand the occasional leak on board, the team are proud to have taken the first step in pushing the marine industry into a more sustainable place. “There is a reason why the marine industry is a little bit lagging in terms of sustainability and we experienced it first-hand – some stuff got wet, some food got spoiled, and if it had been in more durable plastic packaging it would have survived. For us, it is awesome to have all these lessons learned and share the things that did work with other teams. And the things that didn’t work, we can go back and look at how they can be improved.
