Four Jersey mums have broken a world record, being the oldest women to row any ocean by crossing the Atlantic.
Intrepid 232, named in a nod to their combined ages, have succeeded in their attempt to break the world record for the oldest women to row any ocean.
For the past nine gruelling weeks they have been taking part in the famous Talisker Atlantic Challenge - dubbed the world’s toughest row.
Alison Smithurst (59), Rosemary Satchwell (55), Julie Brady (60) and Helene Monpetit (56) set off from La Gomera in the Canaries on 12 December 2023 and have made it to Antigua, covering a distance of nearly 3,000 miles.
They crossed the finish line at around 9pm Jersey time on Friday.
Credit: World's Toughest Row on Facebook
In the last few days, the four mums have shown incredible tenacity, having been pushed off course by winds and currents, despite fighting hard to stay on track.
They’ve been inching towards the finish line, sometimes only covering a handful of nautical miles in a 24 hour period, battling what were described as some of the most technically challenging conditions the race has seen in many years.
They reflected on that final push, on the World's Toughest Row's YouTube channel:
"We have worked for two and a half years solidly to get to this time and we weren't going to give it up easily.
But as well as that, it's the thought of letting yourself down - so we'd have to do it again and I'm not doing this again, ever. But you would have to otherwise you would have failed.
The other thing that kept us going was knowing that we had so much support.
Jersey's support has just been amazing."
READ: Meet The Mums Hoping To Become 'Oldest Ocean Rowers'
The women have their fair share of stories to tell over this journey, from ghost ships to phantom smells, and have completed one of the world's most formidable crossings for charity.
READ: Boiled Eggs, Ghosts and Rough Diamonds.
The team has raised more than £12,500 for their chosen causes - the Grace Crocker Family Support Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation.
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