BY STEPHANIE BELL
AN Co Armagh adventurer has finally made it to dry land after eight weeks at sea rowing solo across the Atlantic ocean.
Linda Blakely from Lurgan set off from Gran Carnaria on January 20, landing in the Bahamas on March 14 after eight gruelling weeks alone at sea.
An exhausted but jubilant Linda was greeted with huge cheers from a team of well wishers as she landed on a beach close to Port St Charles in Barbardos.
The massive challenge saw the heroic Lurgan woman raise £100,000 for the children’s charity Action Medical Research.
Linda is thought to be the first woman from Northern Ireland to take on the daunting challenge alone and with no support boat.
In her first few days at sea she faced difficult weather conditions causing her 12 foot boat called the Ulster Warrior to capsize in the pitch dark.
The experienced adventurer had hoped to break the current record for the fastest female solo rower across the Atlantic by finishing in 40 days.
However it became apparent very quickly that the tides and weather were not on her side and instead she focused on finishing and reaching her £100,000 target for Action Medical Research.
Speaking to Sunday Life after a well-deserved sleep in a bed after 54 days at sea, she said: “It was lovely to be in a bed last night but hard to get out of it this morning.
“I’m really, really pleased that I and the Ulster Warrior have made it.
“We just hit our £100,000 target today (Friday) and its fantastic.“
Linda had a hair raising start when she set off in strong winds. A large wave hit her boat so hard she was thrown overboard on her second day.
She says: “With hindsight I probably should have waited a few days but I left in 25 knot wind conditions.
“I capsized on day two during the night and couldn’t see anything. A large wave smashed into the boat and knocked it over.
“I was tied to the board with a safety harness and I had my lifejacket on.
“The lifejacket blew up and that was quite shocking and then I realised I was actually in the water.
“The boat came back up and I got back in and my spare oars had gone as well as one of the gates that the oar sits in.
“The aerial on my antenna was also broken. I managed to put the spare gate on and fix the antenna which I was quite proud off.
“Three days later another wave ripped my oar out of my hand and the spare gate with it and I had to repair it with string. I had to row 2,500 miles with a gate made from string.”
Ulster Warrior held fast as it rode many 100 foot waves. Linda also survived sleeping for three hour periods, waking up every 45 minutes to check the boat.
The highlight of her long and exhausting challenge was her 50th birthday celebrated alone at sea on February 11.
She says: “I had a lovely day, I had cards to open celebrated with a small bottle of champagne and a piece of fruit cake. It was the best day ever.”
Extremely rare strong north winds and currents at Barbardos made the final few miles the toughest of her challenge.
“Rowing across to the port from the side of the island should have taken 2-3 hours instead it took six hours and at one point I actually thought I wasn’t going to do it, “ she said.
“The clock doesn’t stop until you hit land and it meant I had to fight to the very end. I couldn’t land at the port as planned and instead had to do a beach landing which I had never done before.
“I got out of the boat and immediately fell over as I had no land legs and I still haven’t got them. I have been bent over in a boat for weeks so I think it’s going to take awhile to straighten up again.”
A large group of family and friends flew to Barbados to welcome Linda ashore.
She adds: “I’m over the moon that we have raised so much money for Action Medical Research, I just want to thank everyone who supported me for their amazing generosity.”
