A County Armagh adventurer is preparing to take on the challenge of a lifetime in January when she attempts to break the world record for the fastest solo female crossing of the Atlantic.
Lurgan’s Linda Blakely (49) aims to row the treacherous 3000-mile ocean in a 12-foot boat aptly named Ulster Warrior.
Her aim is to do it in just 40 days – breaking the current world record for a female solo rower which stands at 40 days and 19 hours set by 35-year-old Englishwoman Victoria Evans in 2022.
Linda isn’t shy of a challenge as she is already a seasoned Ironman champion, long-distance triathlete and Everest conqueror.
However her latest adventure – which is estimated to take 1.5 million oar strokes to complete – is one she admits will test her to the limits. “My friends think I am mad even though they are pretty used to my crazy ideas.” Linda tells Local Women Sport.
“This will be the toughest yet and I think it will be mentally harder than it will be physically.
“Spending five weeks at sea on my own in a small space will be hard but endurance is something I am good at so I’m ready for it.”
Linda has also set herself the challenge of raising £100,000 for the children’s medical charity Action Medical Research.
Her just giving page has already topped £70,000 and she hopes the rest will be pledged as people follow her progress across the Atlantic on Instagram.
Born in Lurgan, she left Northern Ireland for London when she was 18.
She set up and runs three children’s homes in the city offering 24-hour care and respite to young people with emotional and behavioural issues as well as learning disabilities.
A dynamic sportswoman, she discovered the thrill of adventure sport in her mid-30s and has competed in multiple Ironman events worldwide, consistently securing the top spot in her age group.
She has also represented Team GB in long-distance triathlons, earning a silver medal in her age group at the Europeans.
In 2018, she became the first woman in the UK to summit both Everest and Lhotse within a day.
Now her mission is to cross the treacherous Atlantic on her own, and the sportswoman in her wants to be the fastest woman to ever do it!
She says: “When I first thought about doing it the record was 49 days which seemed to be there for the taking but then Victoria (Evans) did it in 40 days and set a tough benchmark, it was a great result for her.
“I know so many people who have done it and having a crack at the world record just gives me an added incentive.
“Until this year I had never rowed before but I have a great club in London, the Sons of the Thames who have taken me under their wing and taught me how to row and I’ve been doing some racing with them.
“I plan to row three hours on and three hours off and I did a practice run recently of 50 hours. I set off at 9.00am on a Saturday and returned midday on Monday. It was brilliant.
“I was also making my own water, I have a gadget that takes in ocean water and removes the salt and produces pure H2o which is my drinking supply.
“I just replicated everything I will be doing in the ocean; it was a great training exercise.
“I think rowing round the British Isles has been more difficult because of the winds and the tides, so hopefully rowing in the Atlantic will be more straightforward.”
Linda’s 12-foot Rannoch 10 boat has a small cabin at each end, one for sleeping in and one for storing the rudder.
During her three hour breaks she will aim to eat and then try and rest for two-and-a-half hours.
Remarkably calm about what lies ahead, her only really concern, apart from coping with little sleep, is the Atlantic’s infamous swells she expects to encounter.
She says: “I think I am most worried about the sea’s state. I did cope with 40 knot winds when rowing in Scotland which was quite hairy.
“I know the sea swell can be a lot bigger in the ocean and I will have things with me to slow me down. I have like a mini parachute I can put in my wake in the water to reduce speed but I am in a race so hopefully I won’t have to do that.”
Linda will spend Christmas with her family in Northern Ireland before flying to Gran Canaria on January 7 for the start of her race.
She will set off as soon as the weather permits and hopefully arrive in St Lucia, in the West Indies, within 40 days, where her brother Peter, sister in law, niece and nephew will be among the welcoming party on the beach.
Her motivation for this latest challenge has been to raise funds for research into rare forms of epilepsy being carried out by Action Medical Research. The charity was also the beneficiary of the SPARKS NI Celebration of Motorsport annual dinner, which Linda attended, in the Culloden Hotel.
Her inspiration was the three year old daughter of one of her employees who lives with a rare genetic disease.
She says: “I don’t know how my manager Ricky copes with his little girl being so very ill and because her condition is so rare, all the treatments for her are experimental.
“He has managed to navigate that and still do a great job at work and seeing first-hand the stress of how parents cope with a child who is not well made me want to support Action Medical Research.
“They are looking into new medicines for people with rare types of seizures and many of the medical breakthroughs we all take for granted today, such as ultrasound and the Rubella vaccine, are down to the charities’ research.
“I am thrilled that the appeal has already raised over £70,000 and I’m confident that I will reach my target of £100,000 before the race is finished.
“I have equipment with me which will allow me to update my progress on my instagram page (@BlakelyLinda) and I hope people following me will pledge money as I go.”
Even before she sets off on her Atlantic challenge she already has her next big adventure lined up – the legendary Marathon des Sables known as the toughest foot race on earth.
The truly gruelling multi-stage adventure in one of the world’s most inhospitable environments, the Sahara Desert involves six days of running over 156 miles across endless sand dunes, rocks and white-hot salt plains, carrying what you need to survive on your back.
Linda, who celebrates her 50th birthday during her Atlantic row, says she hopes her adventures will inspire older sportswomen to continue to doing what they love.
She says: “I have been in the menopause for two years and people thought I would be hanging my gutties up because of it but you get your HRT sorted and it doesn’t mean that it’s over and you can’t be active anymore.
“I’m doing it for the old girls to let them know you can still do it, you can still achieve your dreams.”
To support Linda’s heroic efforts and donate to the Ulster Warrior go to: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ulsterwarrior
