700 miles in with 2,300 still to go
Dunblane rower Elaine Hopley is more than a week into her Transatlantic rowing challenge.
She has travelled almost 700 nautical miles since the start of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge last Wednesday (December 14).
However the 44-year-old still has around 2,300 miles to go as she looks to become the fastest woman to row across the ocean.
Elaine has been giving intermittent updates of her progress on social media, as she travels on her 22-foot boat Jan.
Last Thursday she tweeted:“A great start! Rowing is OK. Parachute anchor deployed twice; change of wind. Saw two huge dolphins last night. Awesome prevailing wind.”
However by day four conditions had worsened, with Elaine reporting waves of up to 40 foot. However a little bird following her all day kept her spirits high.
And on Monday, she updated:“The last three days have been relentless, huge 40-foot swells. Jan has been surfing and hanging on. First coffee today, more south west swell, smaller which is awesome.”
A dozen boats are taking part in this year’s event, with just four solo participants - Elaine currently sits second in the solo standings, and eighth overall. Yesterday (Thursday), Elaine was off the coast of Western Sahara in Africa.
Dunblane businesswoman Elaine’s epic journey will raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland in memory of her late mum Janice, and she spent years preparing and fundraising for the race.
Elaine will be spending Christmas alone, 11 days into a voyage of up to 70 days, but she has permitted herself some treats, and plans to grow an avocado tree during the voyage.
To donate to her challenge, and to keep up to date with her progress visit www.eh-oceanrow.com