Parents of rower support her 'extreme' goal

Zara Lachlan's parents said they were supportive of their 21-year-old daughter's plans to row from Portugal to South America

Parents of a woman who hopes to break three world records by independently rowing across the Atlantic Ocean said they supported their daughter's "extreme" goal.

Zara Lachlan, 21, from Cambridge, has set sights on rowing 3,600 nautical miles from Portugal to French Guiana to become the youngest female to row from any mainland to mainland across the Atlantic solo, and unsupported.

Her mum Claire, 52, said: "Although she is doing something quite extreme, she has to feel [like] we're 100% behind her, which we are."

She is due to set off in October and the journey will take three months. She said she hoped her plan would encourage people to do things they are scared of and promote sport for women.

Zara Lachlan studied physics at Loughborough University and said she wanted to promote sport for women

Her father, Guy Lachlan, said: "It's quite a special achievement, especially for her generation or her cohort, [which] was very badly affected by Covid-19.

"To get up and do anything is very difficult for young people of her age, because they have had everything beaten out of them by being locked up for so long.

"I think it is quite something to actually get up and say, 'I am going to go and do something extreme'."

Her mother added: "She wants to do it, so I think we just have to support her, like every parent wants to support their child.

"[I feel a] little bit nervous, but excited for the ending."

Encouraging parents Guy and Claire said they wanted their daughter to know they supported her with her goals

Ms Lachlan said: "I leave from Portugal and I will row for three months to French Guiana, and I will not have a support vessel near me, so I carry all of my food and I sleep on the boat.

"If I come into an absolute disaster then I just have to hope that a nearby ship is going to come and save me.

"Being alone for three months is going to be really difficult - I have never done anything like it."

Boyfriend Isaac Newell said he would miss Zara Lachlan while she was away

Her boyfriend, Isaac Newell, said: "I'll definitely miss her - it's a long time to be away. We've only been together for about three months, so half our relationship is going to be at sea.

"It'll be nice when she comes back."

Ms Lachlan said she would miss a lot of her home comforts, such as a bed and hot shower.

She said: "I will miss people more than anything, but on a less serious note I will miss mayonnaise."