A WOMAN from the Vale of Glamorgan and three other people are coming together to take on the challenge of a lifetime to row across the Atlantic to raise money for charity.
Team In Deep Ship will see themselves rowing 3000 miles and spending up to 50 days at sea while battling 20ft waves, rowing across five mile deep sea valleys and navigating huge storms, as part of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
Each team member is currently living in a different country – Canada, Germany, Ireland and the UK. When you combine this with the global pandemic, the task ahead is no mean feat.
Jessica Mullins, 31, an occupational therapist from Penarth who is currently living in Canada, said: “The challenge itself poses many so many obstacles. Sleep deprivation will be a huge factor as we will be rowing two hours on and two hours off 24/7 that could last, for some, up to 60 days.
“Food and drink will also be difficult – we must bring dehydrated food to fuel each of us with 5000 calories per day and 10 litres of drinking water which needs to be converted from sea water through a water maker.
"And the space we have to deal with for that amount of time is another – the boat is 8m x 1.5m and very ‘cozy’. It also doesn’t have a toilet so we will need to be creative and bring it back to basics using a bucket!
“We’ve called ourselves ‘In Deep Ship’ because that’s exactly how we feel.”
Ms Mullins will be joined in the December 2021 row from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, to Antigua in the Caribbean by teammates Joe Lewis, 34, an aerospace engineer from Ireland, Lauren Hunt, 33, an architect living in the UK, and Jess Goddard, 30, a footwear designer currently residing in Germany.
They have a mixed bag of rowing abilities – while Joe taught Jessica to row back in 2014, Lauren and Jess have no previous rowing experience and are having to learn fast.
And, while each member has their own dedicated training plan, due to Covid-19 they are unable to currently come together as a team, instead having to use virtual sessions.
“Competing in this challenge is far more than just the row,” added Ms Mullins.
“It’s a two-year mission of meticulous preparation, which involves coordinating our team across two continents, learning the navigation, seamanship and survival skills necessary, alongside buying and preparing our boat, whilst training like professional athletes.
“We all work in office jobs and are swapping the desk and the city for an adventure. We are just four ordinary people who are hoping to do something extraordinary and will push ourselves to our limits, train like athletes and hope we can inspire others to follow their dreams.”
In Deep Ship are taking on the challenge in the hope of raising £60,000 which they will split equally between homeless charities Crisis UK and Covenant House Vancouver as well as Anthony Nolan which fights for people with blood cancer.
For more information about the team and the challenge visit www.indeepship.com or head to @indeepship2021 on Instagram and Facebook.
Alternatively, head to gofund.me/c637c965 to sponsor or www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/indeepship to donate to the team’s chosen charities.
Funding is a big challenge and they are also looking for personal and corporate sponsorship to help them get to the start line.
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