Rowing trio ready for adventure as they prepare to take on Atlantic challenge
Former flatmates prepare for epic voyage raising money for charity that supports babies, children and their families
A Scottish trio has said they are “ready for an adventure” as they prepare to row across the Atlantic for a charity challenge.
A doctor, Jenna Volpert, and physiotherapists Ellen Clark and Lauren Wilde-Arnold are friends and former Dundee flatmates who have signed up to take part in the World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic, a formidable 3,000-mile journey.
Known as the Saltire Tide Team, the three took delivery of the boat that will carry them across the Atlantic at Dalgety Bay on Friday.
They are also the only Scottish team in the challenge.
“None of us are rowers,” Ms Clark said. “We’ve all done our fair share of endurance sport events: a mixture of running, triathlons, swimming, cycling; I’ve done a lot of dinghy sailing, but that’s all very coastal. None of us have done any offshore type of events.”
Ms Volpert added: “We’re complete novices really. We’ve had to learn everything from scratch.”
The three healthcare professionals said they got involved in the event through Ms Volpert, who was originally signed up to take part in the World’s Toughest Row with two other teammates.
When Ms Volpert’s original teammates were called up to take part in the 2028 Olympics, she asked her two housemates if they wanted to join instead.
Ms Wilde-Arnold said: “Jenna phoned us one Wednesday afternoon and was like, ‘what do you guys want to do? Take your time, think about it’. But Ellen and I just kind of said, ‘No, we want to do it.'”
Their boat, known as Crean, is an 8.6m long Rannoch R45, which is specifically designed for trios, fours and five-person crews, and is the world’s most popular ocean rowing boat.
Starting in December, the challenge will see the trio battle 40-foot waves, unpredictable weather, sleep deprivation and salt sores, as they take it in turns to row for up to three hours at a time, 24 hours a day.
The race will take them from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua.
“We’re hoping for less than 40 days,” Ms Volpert said. “We’re hoping to break the world record. That’s the plan, and that’s what we’re training for. We’re doing everything we can, but obviously it’s very weather dependent.”
Speaking about their motivation, Ms Wilde-Arnold said they are doing it for the sake of adventure.
“We love adventure,” she said. We all do expedition style things, but nothing like the scale (of this).”
She added: “That’s kind of why we did it, it was just the adventure and thrill of it, and it’s totally different. And you know, not many people have done it still, so it’s really good.”
Ms Volpert said she anticipates that the preparation and training element will be the most difficult part of the challenge: “Once you get on the road and you start rowing, you’ve done all the training, you’ve done the prep, and you know what you’re going to do.”
The race will get under way on December 12, when weather conditions are most favourable.
Apart from satellite contact with race organisers, they will rely entirely on themselves, carrying everything they need from the start, including a mandatory 60 days’ worth of food.
Once the race is complete, the boat and equipment will be sold, with proceeds going to the Archie Foundation to support babies, children and their families.
Rebecca Duncan, business development and fundraising manager for Archie in Tayside, said: “We wish the Saltire Tides team lots of luck with the training and it’s great to see the boat in operation.
“Everything they raise from their amazing Atlantic challenge will make a huge difference to the services and support we provide for children and their families across Tayside and the North of Scotland.”
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