Nottingham: Skipper leads rowing team to break Atlantic Ocean record

The crew completed the unassisted 3,000-mile Atlantic Ocean crossing in 39 days, 12 hours and 25 minutes

A woman from Nottinghamshire has led her team to a record-breaking 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean.

The crew of four women completed the unassisted crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean in 39 days, 12 hours and 25 minutes on 21 January.

Skipper Victoria Monk said their success was down to two years of "dedicated" training and preparation.

The team hope to inspire more girls and women to take up sport and tackle the "huge dropout rate".

The crossing, which started in La Gomera and finished in Antigua, was part of The World's Toughest Row race.

The team, "There She Rows" - which consists of Ms Monk, Ana Zigic, Ellie Reynolds and Abbey Platten - have become the fastest British women to row across the Atlantic Ocean in under 40 days.

The previous record was held by "The Mothership" - a crew of four working mums - who crossed the ocean in 40 days, 11 hours and 25 minutes in 2021.

The team, "There She Rows", faced several days of scaling 30ft waves in their 10-metre boat

Rowing for 14 hours a day and only sleeping between two to fours hours, they rowed through thunder and lightning in Atlantic storms.

The crew faced several days of scaling 30ft waves in their 10-metre boat, which took a toll on them as well as the equipment.

They endured broken rowing gates, navigation malfunctions, water-maker problems, as well as severe sea sickness and bodily bruising from being thrown around during the rough weather conditions.

The crew also had to navigate multiple knockdowns and near-capsizes, and withstood a Blue Marlin fish hitting the boat.

Team captain, Ms Monk, from Keyworth, said it was "as much a mental challenge as it was physical".

"Finding the motivation to keep going, to keep turning up for your rowing shift and giving 100% when we were all seriously sleep-deprived, seasick, blistered and bruised, was tough," she said.

The team hope to inspire more girls and women to take up sport and tackle the "huge dropout rate"

The 31-year-old, who put the crew together from Herefordshire, Norfolk and London, said more than half of girls in the UK loose interest in sport before they are 17 years old.

The sportswomen hope their achievement can help highlight the dropout rate and inspire change for the future, adding sport has had positive impact on their lives.

"If we can cross the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny rowing boat, having never rowed before - then hopefully, you can feel inspired to tackle your own 'Atlantic Ocean'," she said

Ms Monk added it could be anything from attempting a charity run, joining the school football team or just trying a new sport.