Former Shropshire student Kate has her sights set on Atlantic row
A former Shrewsbury High School pupil is in the final stages of preparing to row the Atlantic.
Kate Salmon, 31, a scientific consultant with the Met Office in Exeter, is in the four-woman Row For the Ocean crew in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge race across the ocean. They are rowing the 3,000-plus miles to highlight the dangers of single-use plastic to the ocean's wildlife and environment, and to raise funds for the charity Surfers Against Sewage.
The race, billed as the world’s toughest row, starts on December 12, from the Canary isle of La Gomera and around 30 crews (singles, doubles, triples and fours) will aim to reach the finish line in Antigua. Kate and her team will face storms, sharks, long-term sleep deprivation and other dangers. Any rescue backup is at least 24 hours away.
How long the row will take depends on weather, currents and unexpected hazards but they are allowing for 40-plus days. On board, they plan a gruelling regime of two hours rowing, then two hours for sleep and essential on-board tasks, continuing throughout each 24 hours. “It’s the biggest test for all of us. We’ve trained hard, and we hope we’re prepared,” Kate said.
She has been training for several months with co-rowers Kirsty Barker, a landscape architect, Ros Holsgrove-West, a physiotherapist and social media manager Laura Try. Kate said: “Fitting this in around my day job and training six times a week has been exhausting at times but worth it. Now, we’re all just very fired up to get the adventure under way.
“As well as rowing, we all have other essential tasks. One of mine is to keep the underside of the boat clear of molluscs and weed so it rows efficiently. I’ll be doing that about once a week and I’ll be making especially sure there are no sharks about before I go over the side."
They will be rowing through Christmas and New Year's Day and, despite the cramped space of their 8m x 1.5m craft (a water-tight sleeping and stowage area at each end and rowing seats in the middle), they are taking some small luxuries with them. These include a brandy-laced Christmas cake cooked by Kate’s mum, Shirley, who lives with husband Seabury in Ludford near Ludlow.
Kate is an experienced rower, having started at school and gone on to major events like Henley Regatta. In 2013, she was in the team that broke the women’s record for rowing the English Channel in a Cornish gig. The Talisker race, however, is her greatest challenge yet.
The four have already raised £120,000 to get to the start line and have been very impressed with the generosity of people and businesses. However, they’re keen to attract more donations. People can give direct through the website, rowfortheocean.co.uk .
