Totally oar-some
You have featured several articles about Elaine Hopley, from Dunblane, competing in this year’s Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Elaine started with 11 other 7.5-metre rowing boats from La Gomera on December 14 on a solo crossing of the Atlantic. Some boats taking part in the challenge had crews of two,three, and four people.
With only 390 miles of the 3200-mile crossing of the Atlantic to Antigua, Elaine is poised to finish in less than 63 days, smashing the existing women’s solo crossing record of 101 days. Today (Monday) she rowed 71 miles helped by a strong tail wind.
This is like rowing the full length of Loch Lomond three times over, but with the added challenge of big waves threatening to swamp her boat.
The boat is named Jan after her mother who developed Alzheimers and was cared for by Elaine and supported by Alzheimer Scotland for many years. But the donations to Alzheimer Scotland are still £1500 short of the £5000 Elaine hoped to raise.
There’s still time to donate either directly to Alzheimer Scotland or on Elaine’s website www.eh-oceanrow. com. I do not know Elaine personally but was inspired by the articles in the Observer and have been following the race on the website www. taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com each day.
I am not connected with this charity, just one of the 71 donors so far and hope that Elaine’s fantastic achievement will inspire others to give and many more of us to step out of our comfort zone and do more.
Roy Baker, via email