In an epic display of grit and determination, a team of British women have shattered the women’s record for the World’s Toughest Row, completing the punishing journey from California to Hawaii in just 38 days.
Brits Jess Goddard, Charlotte Irving, and Taylor Winyard faced shark-infested waters, relentless salt sores and even failing equipment to claim their incredible victory, finishing the epic journey in a time of 38 days, 1 hour and 34 minutes.
The World’s Toughest Row – Pacific starts in June each year with teams participating from around the World. The annual edition of this race sees teams start from the historic harbour of Monterey, California, following the path of many adventurers and explorers of yester year.
This year the race began on June 8 from California and the British women crossed the finish line in Hanalei Bay on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i on Tuesday night.
Rowing in their boat Weird Barbie, the trio battled numerous challenges, including capsizing three times.
“If anything could have gone wrong, it did. We capsized three times, burnt through two auto-helms, but we got through it. It’s a bit of a blur now – I think I’ve blocked a lot of it out!” Taylor Winyard said.
However, despite the chaos, there were moments of relief. “A special moment was when a very big boat, George II, passed us. It was the first voice we’d heard for a while and they were so motivational and so kind to us, so that was a highlight,” Winyard added.
These powerhouse women, who met in December 2021 during The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, are no strangers to extreme challenges. Ms Irving and Ms Winyard both hold previous world records for Atlantic crossings and Ms Goddard was part of the world’s first mixed four team to make the Atlantic crossing in 2019.
Raising money for Cancer Research UK, the team aimed to complete the crossing in 40 days but blew past their own expectations despite brutal conditions, including the infamous “wall of wind” off the California coast.
The British men’s team, the Salty Sappers, also won the men’s race this week with a time of 36 days, 6 hours, and 49 minutes.
Before the World’s Toughest Row – Pacific started last year, just 82 people in 33 boats had successfully rowed to one of the Hawaiian islands from mainland USA, with the average crossing time for all crew sizes being 62 days.
