Elaine nears finish of Atlantic voyage
Set to smash rowing record
A Dunblane woman is on the brink of becoming the fastest woman to row solo across the Atlantic.
Elaine Hopley, 44, is set to arrive in Antigua this weekend, meaning she will complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in around 63 days.
During the race she has fought terrifying storms, seen huge sharks, been hit by flying fish and stung by a jellyfish.
Yesterday morning (Thursday) Elaine had around 170 nautical miles of the challenge left and she has averaged between 60 and 70 miles a day for the past few weeks.
The previous record for an unassisted female crossing is 70 days so Elaine is set to smash the record, having set off from the Canaries on December 14.
Her epic journey will raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland in memory of her late mum Jan, who she named her boat after, and Elaine spent years preparing and fundraising for the race.
On Wednesday evening she appealed for donations to Alzheimer Scotland, saying: ”My adorable mum Jan had Alzheimer’s for 17 years which broke my heart.
“She was the most beautiful, adorable mother, even until the very end, and this row is dedicated to her for her courage and strength to keep going for so long.”
The efforts of the race are beginning to affect her body but Elaine has been boosted by the news that her family have arrived in the Caribbean.
In a drive for energy she has been eating chicken korma, Mars bars and chilli con carne for breakfast.
She has been keeping up to date with pupils at Newton Primary, where her sons Guy and Harvey are pupils, and the school is looking forward to giving her a hero’s welcome when she returns.
“We are all delighted,” said deputy head Emma Alison. “We are very proud of Elaine and all the work she has been doing.
“Our parent fundraising group and the children have raised about £1000 for Alzheimer’s. The children have all been really excited and we have been keeping in touch with Elaine on Twitter and Facebook and also been speaking with her partner Ali.”
Abby Parkhouse from Alzheimer Scotland said the charity are very proud of the rower.
She said: “All of us are in awe of Elaine and what she is doing to challenge dementia.
“We’ve all been closely following her progress and we’ll be at the airport to give Elaine a roaring welcome when she arrives back in Scotland.”
Elaine, who runs her own home improvement business made her reputation in cycling, winning the inaugural Women’s Scottish
All of us are in awe of Elaine and what she is doing