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4 British women set to take their place in history.
Four British women, the Ocean Angels, are set to become the first female crew to row 3700 miles across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius. With less than 200 miles to go in the first ever Indian Ocean Rowing Race, the girls should reach land within the next week and set a new world record. They are raising money for Breast Cancer Care, the charity that supports people living with breast cancer.
The foursome is made up of: Fiona Waller, a photographer [and cancer survivor] (34); Sarah Duff a consumer researcher (25), and Elin Haf Davies a nurse (32) who all rowed the Atlantic in 2007, and also first timer Jo Jackson (28) who had never set foot in a rowing boat or been to sea until signing up for this enormous challenge!
The Ocean Angels are the only female competitors in this epic race, heralded as the world's toughest rowing race. To date only 2 men have ever rowed across the Indian Ocean unsupported. Of the 10 boats that set out in April, only 5 are still in the race which is testament to the grueling conditions the rowers have had to face. The girls have had to be totally self sufficient dealing with numerous breakages, power problems, flooding, and steering issues. They have also been pushed backwards at times due to the extreme weather conditions they have found themselves in. Despite these set backs and other physical discomforts such as salt water sores, the Ocean Angels have battled through and are currently in 2nd place behind one men’s 4 boat.
Life on board can only be described as basic. The girls rotate in pairs rowing for 2 hours and resting for 2 hours all day every day. They eat dehydrated rations and make their water using a solar powered de-salinator. Having been at sea in their 29 foot boat for over 65 days, with the end in sight the Ocean Angels are dreaming of clean sheets, fresh food and hot showers. Sarah said "I am so excited at the thought of sleeping in a bed for longer than 2 hours at a time, eating food that's not in a bag, and being able to have a shower every day, not to mention seeing all my friends and family again".
The girls have developed quite a following on their blog and can receive messages from supporters following their progress on their website www.oceanangels.co.uk.
