Let’s just say that’s a heckuva lot of strokes, blisters and not having to think about packing kids’ lunches for school.
According to Scotland’s Evening Standard, Glasgow, Scotland’s Leanne Maiden, 42, a mother-of-two, become the first South African woman to conquer solo “the world’s toughest row” – a 3,000-mile voyage across the Atlantic from La Gomera to Antigua.
The grueling row across the Atlantic Ocean solo was part of the World’s Toughest Row race, seeing her rejoin her family after two months at sea. Maiden, an osteopath originally from Johannesburg, spent 66 days and five hours at sea during the crossing. En route, the story reports she navigated 20-foot waves and temperatures as low as 10 degrees C., while rowing as many as 70 nautical miles in 24-hour periods, for up to 14 hours per day.
And she wasn’t planning on doing it alone. But after her sailing partner pulled out months before the Dec. 13 start she decided to row it solo while raising money for charity. The COVID lockdown, she told the Evening Standard, inspired her to make changes in her life.
“This experience has changed my life,” she said. “I hope I’ve shown other mums that anything is possible. When you become a mum you can lose part of your identity. This has helped me rediscover who I am and what I’m capable of.”
Read full story HERE