Bolton School pupil, Rachel Flanders, aged 17, is seeking to become the youngest person to row the Atlantic. She is part of a rowing team which is hoping to break the all-female team record of 67 days to complete the crossing. Rachel's fellow rowers are consumer researcher Sarah Duff, aged 24; nurse Clair Desborough, aged 32; and photographer Fiona Waller, aged 32.
The "Atlantic Angels” as the quartet has become known are rowing in the 3,000 mile Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race, which left the Canary Island of La Gomera on Sunday 2 December. The race ends in the Caribbean island of Antigua. Their boat is called Silver Cloud and the 29 foot sailing vessel is expected to face 40 foot waves and blistering temperatures.
Rachel, who has just completed her GCSE studies and is taking a year out before her A levels, said the thing she is most looking forward to is: “Finishing! Seeing everyone again, all my family and friends and the feeling of such an amazing achievement! I am really looking forward to the whole experience and making some new fantastic friends! Christmas Day and New Year should be absolutely fab, celebrating at sea! Seeing all the sea life alongside me as I row and the sunsets/rises will definitely be fab! All the Angels get on really well and I am looking forward to all the great times we"ll have together!”
The four rowers are hoping to raise £100,000 and, if their target is met, they have promised to row the final stretch of their journey in the nude. The money will go towards cancer charities and an hospice. The proceeds of the School’s Ceremony of Carols will go towards the fund being built up by Rachel’s endeavour.
The latest entry on Rachel’s website reads: “Well, 9am this morning and we've rowed 43 nautical miles from La Gomera. That means we have 2509 to go!!!
The great news is that we are currently 11th in the race (out of the 22 that started). Out of the other teams of 4 though, we are currently 2nd (and ahead of the other all female crew who are about 3 miles behind us).
We maintain our promise if we can raise £100k by the time we arrive in Antigua, we'll do the final leg into Antigua in the nude!”
A promotional video, showing the girls at a rowing club and Rachel in school can be viewed by clicking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHCPsvBTYpM
Their progress can be viewed via a web diary, which is updated 3-4 times daily at www.atlanticrowingrace2007.co.uk Rachel’s own website www.atlantic-angels.co.uk also contains details about the epic trip and press releases.