News

Posted: September 23, 2016

One of the most inspiring people you are likely to meet this year is soon-to-be Atlantic rower Elaine Hopley who will be our guest at this weekend’s Rio Regatta in Strathclyde Park.

Passionate about adventure sports and “pushing body and mind to the limits”, the 43 year old from Dunblane is preparing hard for her biggest sporting challenge yet – the 3000 miles Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge this December.

The task of crossing an entire ocean single handed in a 6.8m boat would be sufficient for the most hardened adventurer but Elaine plans to go a step further and set the fastest time ever by a female unsupported.

“Once I get into a race it does become competitive,” admits Elaine, whose boat for the crossing was designed by the current solo record holder, Charlie Pitcher, who completed the challenge in 35 days.

“Not a lot of women have done this and the last one I know to record was Roz Savage 10 or 11 years ago and, when she did, it was 103 days.

“I’d like to do it between 60 and 70 days if possible. Right now it’s a number in my head but in reality you have the weather and other things to contend with.

“When Roz did it they rowed to Barbados and it’s now Antigua, so I’ll set a new course record and as far as I know no solo women has done that yet.

“A lot of these sports are dominated by males but more women are coming in.  And a lot of fantastic female teams have done brilliantly in this race over the last few years, inspiring other women.

“Even if I just get to Antigua - which I will - I will set a new record, a benchmark hopefully for other solo women who will be interested in doing this.”

Although her major achievements so far have been on a bike – including holding the title of women’s Scottish Mountain Bike Cross Country champion for a number of years – Elaine has been rowing as part of her cycling cross training for two decades, both on her ergometer at home and in a training boat she built herself.

Growing up on the west coast she has paddled, rowed, surfed and taken part in just about every other water sport, to the extent she feels compelled to row the Atlantic as “the next thing for me to do to connect it all together.”

Thirteen boats will compete in this year’s Atlantic Challenge, with five of them going in the solo category.

Faced with what seems like an endless ocean of 3000 miles, without the physical proximity of another person, will be both a huge physical and mental challenge but Elaine has spent a lifetime preparing.

“It’s a huge challenge but I am a bit of a loner when I do things like this and I don’t mind being on my own,” she admits.

“My biggest trip so far was a solo cycle around the southern hemisphere when I was away for nine months and a lot of that time I was on my own.

“But we are well prepared and there will be a lot of support on the water for us if we need it and we have radio contact 24/7 with our support vessel.”

Ask Elaine why she is willing to put herself through two months of solitary hardship on the Atlantic and the answer is a disarmingly simple “because I’ve always had an urge to cross an ocean.”

But there is a secondary reason which is just as important as the first. Elaine’s mother was diagnosed with early onset dementia aged 55 and she needed her daughter’s everyday support for more than a decade until she sadly passed away.

Elaine feels the need to raise funds for this little understood disease; funds that will contribute towards the very promising work that is being done in dementia research, thus hopefully preventing future generations from experiencing the pain and distress dementia causes.

“My mum had dementia for 17 years and I Iived with it for that length of time,” explains Elaine.

“You can hardly express in words what it’s like to deal with the upset, the trauma and everything I went through with her until the end, so fundraising for the charity is a huge part of it for me.   

“When she  was first diagnosed I didn’t know who to turn to and what to do, so raising awareness is massive.

“It’s frightening when you know somebody who has been diagnosed with this disease.

“So I want to make people aware that Alzheimer Scotland is a charity you can turn to for help.“

To sponsor or support Elaine, see her website www.eh-oceanrow.com

And better still come and meet Elaine this weekend at the Rio Regatta.