Atlantic crossing was ‘extremely rewarding’
Windsor: Married couple become first to complete rowing challenge
A former Windsor resident has spoken about her experience after she and her partner became the first married couple to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Setting off on December 12, Charlie Fleury, 32, and her husband Adam Baker, 31, completed the row on February 1 despite neither being experienced rowers.
Using a 24ft long boat, the pair endured unpredictable weather and came close to capsizing on multiple occasions during the 3,000-mile trip from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua.
Both A&E workers, the ‘Emergensea Duo’ took on the row to learn more about the different effects between males and females on ultra-endurance challenges.
Along the way, the pair raised money for Devon Air Ambulance, Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital Charity, the RNLI and Mind, and were donated a bottle of Atlantic Strength Gin for the journey by Scilly Spirit Distillery.
Speaking to the Express, Charlie, originally from Windsor but now living in Exeter, said that they worked in 2-hour shifts until they were within sight of Antigua where they completed the rest of the row in tandem.
“You don’t have support, so you’re on that boat 24/7,” said Charlie.
“You’re eating freeze-dried meals, and you’re exposed to all the elements – the sun was beating down with very little wind, so you would get sores on your hand too.
“It was a really tough one, but it was extremely rewarding getting to Antigua and going from complete silence with nothing around you to being welcomed by loads of people and boats hooting their horns.
“There were some really stressful moments – the weather is so unpredictable and out of your control, so it’s extremely frustrating when you’re giving absolutely everything and you’re barely moving.”
The weather and isolation were not the only challenges the couple faced along the way.
“In the last 48 hours, I think the most amount of sleep we got was 80 minutes each,” Charlie added.
“Sleep deprivation was a big thing, so you did experience hallucinations; at one point, Adam saw a cricket pavilion in the middle of the Atlantic, and he doesn’t even play cricket.”
“It’s so remote out there – at one point you’re nearer to someone in space than someone stood on land – and you really don’t see a lot.”
For more information, visit: www.emergenseaduo.com/