A woman from Glasgow is taking to the waves to face one of the world’s fiercest endurance challenges.
Leanne Maiden could spend more than 80 days alone on the Atlantic Ocean, when she sets off on “the world’s toughest row” across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean.
The adventurer, who lives in Bearsden will raise money for three charities: The Polar Academy UK, The Women’s Fund for Scotland, and The Mabel Foundation.
Leanne, originally planned to row as a pair but her partner pulled out just a few months ago, leaving her to row the 3,000 miles by herself.
She said: “It will be incredibly sad to leave my children and my husband, but very few kids can say their mum rowed the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll miss each other, but I hope it will inspire them to do ambitious, crazy things themselves.”
The race is expected to last as long as 85 days and leanna will face sleep deprivation, salt sores, physical extremes, and the psychological challenges of the open ocean.
The voyage has been sponsored by Wolfcraig Distillers, and Director Jamie Lunn was in La Gomera last week helping her pack her boat. He said: “We’ve been with her since the beginning. She’s a very special person; so incredibly resilient and inspiring. We can all learn a lot from her.
“A couple of our ambassadors have represented the British and Irish Lions, and Lauren (Gray), our head of marketing, is an Olympic medallist, and they are as much in awe of Leanne as I am.
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“We’re proud to be part of Leanne’s journey especially given the charities she is raising funds for and will be cheering her on every painful mile of the way.”
When Leanne arrives in Antigua, more than 20 of her friends and family are expected to be there to welcome her.
Before her, only 34 solo females have attempted to row across the Atlantic Ocean, and she will be the first South African female to do so.
Leanne, who moved to Scotland from South Africa 20-years-ago, added: “Aside from the physical and mental challenge of rowing an ocean I will also be facing the challenge of social isolation.
“I have never lived alone and I’m not even sure I have ever spent more than 12 hours in my own company.
“I have an incredible family and amazing friends and the thought of spending up to 85 days with nothing but my own thoughts feels like it could be very uncomfortable indeed. But when I consider the inescapable discomfort that so many people around the world experience on a daily basis for their entire lives, my discomfort pales into insignificance."
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Leanne, who sets off on Wednesday, has already raised more than £5,000 for her chosen charities. The Osteopath has trained extensively for banking hundreds of hours on the water and has even called on help from the Maclean brothers who set three records during the same race four years ago.
The world’s toughest row features teams from around the world who gather in the race village San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands all with the same objective – to take on the unique experience of crossing an ocean in a rowing boat.
Leanne’s journey cann be followed at She-roars, which has also been set up to allow people to make donations. The race begins tomorrow at 8.15am.
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