Officer Cadet-in-waiting begins Atlantic solo row record bid for Team Forces
21-year-old soon-to-be Army technical officer Zara Lachlan has begun her record-breaking solo and unsupported row across the Atlantic.
For an estimated 90 days, the university student will battle the elements, while rowing up to 20 hours a day.
She will be raising money for two charities through her record-breaking trip, Team Forces and Women in Sport.
Having just completed her physics degree at Loughborough University, Zara will be joining the Army on her return.
Major General Lamont Kirkland, CEO of Team Forces, said: "Team Forces is delighted to be able to support Zara on her record-breaking expedition attempt.
"It's been incredibly impressive to see the sheer volume of preparation and training that Zara has achieved over the last few months.
"This, and the fact that her focus has never wavered from the ambitious goal she has set herself, will stand her in good stead during the row as it's going to be very tough."
Zara departed from Lagos on the Portuguese Algarve and now faces what she calls "some of the toughest rowing on the trip" to the Canary Islands, which she hopes she can complete in two weeks.
She said: "I'm expecting conditions to be really tough with unpredictable weather; the risk of bumping into Orca, the 11 different species of sharks and marlin that are known to puncture the hulls of small boats; not to mention managing 20ft waves in a 24ft long boat.
"My plan is to row for five hours then sleep for 20 minutes at a time, only breaking this cycle during extreme weather conditions or when I need to clean my boat – something I'm not looking forward to!"
Zara will be carrying 800kg of supplies in her boat including 5,500kcal of meals and snacks per day.
On top of this, every two days she will need to get in the water to clean the underside of the boat and to check for damage.
If she completes her challenge, Zara will become the first woman and youngest person ever to complete any mainland trans-Atlantic crossing and will become a world record holder.
Through this challenge, Zara is hoping to inspire women and girls into sport and she is also planning to host a talk from the ocean for schools across the UK.
Zara added: "While the ocean is a challenging beast, it is also incredibly beautiful and I’m looking forward to witnessing things like the night sky free from light pollution.
"Even seeing Orcas over the next few days will be fascinating as long as they leave my boat alone!"
You can follow Zara's adventure, by visiting her site Zara Lachlan – Team Forces or via her Instagram channel.
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