Rachel and Lin aimed to complete the gruelling 2,935 mile journey from the Spanish Island in under 75 days, arriving triumphantly on the Caribbean island of Antigua early in February 2008. With only each other for company, the pair expected to experience extremes of blistering heat, stark conditions and 30 foot waves, to dodge large tankers and meet a variety of wildlife, not guaranteed to be friendly!

As if the challenge wasn’t hard enough, Lin and Rachel also set a huge target of raising £100,000 for Breast Cancer Care, the UK’s leading provider of breast cancer information and support.

Fundraising Total: £68,578

Friends for over 12 years, Rachel and Lin wanted to do something for Charity for a number of years. Since both women have seen family members affected by breast cancer in the past, Breast Cancer Care was a natural choice.

Message of Support

"From our days together racing for the GB Dragon Boat Team I know that you two have got what it takes to complete this challenge. The highs and lows are massive but the strength of your friendship will get you through those. You will see beauty out there that will take your breath away. Enjoy those moments to the full because you will need them to carry you through the hard days. Nothing yet in my life has come close to that landfall moment on the other side of the pond. It will be the best thing and the worst thing you will ever do!" - Godspeed,
Debra Searle MBE(Atlantic rower 2001-2)