ANNOUNCEMENT – POSTPONEMENT TO WINTER 2021/22

I recently posted on social media about the issues my Atlantic row campaign was facing since the introduction of the travel ban to Spain. Having had an initial green light to travel from the Higher Commission of Sport in Madrid, and having shipped my boat to Tenerife on that basis, I then encountered a period of silence from the Spanish government. When the reply did finally come on 1 February it was to advise that travel could not in fact be permitted. 

Following that news, I spent the first half of February seeking out advice and considering options. Whilst we did eventually get the backing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spain, there was no convincing the Ministry of Health and on the 18 February I had the final confirmation that travel would not be permitted. Spain is making no exceptions. Entering Spain or the Canary Islands is currently not permitted for UK citizens for any reason. 

As you can imagine, this has been a crushing blow so close to the start line. Preparing for an event of this magnitude requires focused commitment, sacrifice and an ability to handle significant amounts of pressure. You’re readying yourself for a challenge that could cost you your life should you not treat it with the respect it deserves. Add to this mix undertaking the preparations during a global pandemic and you have a recipe for an immensely stressful time. As we’ve all experienced, the last 12 months have presented a multitude of additional hurdles to everyday life. For the row these hurdles came in the form of gym closures, sponsorship opportunities falling away, marina closures, lockdowns, equipment delivery issues. As a solo rower, you shoulder the financial risk and emotional impact single-handedly. The crossing should be the reward for the hard months of preparation. Getting to just days from the start only to find yourself set back a year is hard to explain. There is denial, anger, sadness and ultimately, as I’m coming to now, acceptance of the present reality. I’ve also struggled with frustration at the way the matter was handled and the decision being ultimately outside of my control. 

Back in the early stages of the campaign I gave a talk at the Olympic stadium in London. It was to an audience of sports investors and proved to be a seminal moment, securing me the BBC Sport article that launched the project and in turn secured me my first sponsor. Looking back over that talk this week I found this section, discussing adversity - as true now as it was then:

‘It’s easy to think that living through adversity takes something away from you, and it does, but I firmly believe you should seek out the good in whatever hand you’re dealt. What adversity gives you is the tools to fight, to persevere, to overcome - and those qualities serve you well in a sporting environment. When I started to discover sport in my late twenties I realised I already had some of the necessary elements to participate. I might have been an out of shape, over-worked twenty-something-year-old lawyer with a healthy penchant for white wine, but what life had ensured I’d got in my locker was resilience. It’s that resilience that’s drawn me to chase goals involving adventure and challenge. Rowing the Atlantic will be the biggest adventure yet, an endurance challenge like no other. There will no doubt be days where I don’t want to get up and row, but when the chips are down and you want to throw the towel in, life has taught me that your only option is to push on. In all circumstances you have the choice of how to react.’

I’ve had to draw on that resilience repeatedly of late. Whilst all of the emotions I’ve experienced over the course of the last few months are valid, I have tried to remind myself that it’s key to ensure I step back from the challenge and look at the bigger picture. We are all living in a truly unique time and sometimes life gets in the way of our perfectly made plans. The path to an event of this size was always going to be winding, what’s key is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. 

It’s important to me that all decisions I make preserve the integrity of the campaign. One such decision is ensuring I comply with the rules and regulations in place around COVID. We hear people talk about having ‘lost a year to COVID’, but there are many who have lost far more than that. Now is the time to do our bit towards getting us out of this pandemic, even if that means making incredibly difficult decisions. Further, whilst attempting to break a speed record is a great goal to aim for, my ultimate goal in doing an Atlantic row is to raise funds for, and awareness about, UK Charity ‘Women In Sport’. As such, I also want to do the crossing at a time when we can fully celebrate the purpose of the campaign, and when friends and family can legally travel to share in those celebrations with me.

Moving forward my focus will be on the things I can control. To date, I have sought to run the campaign like a business and all good businesses have contingency plans. Whilst I left work to commit fully to this process, I unsurprisingly can’t afford to train full time in perpetuity. As the global environment had begun to feel more unsteady during my final preparation, I had applied for a full-time legal role given my original profession as a lawyer. I’m delighted to say that on 19 February I started an interim role as Director of Legal and Governance for World Sailing. The opportunity to work at a senior level in an international federation during an Olympic year, and at a time when the sport of sailing is undertaking great strides towards equality and diversity, is simply incredible.

During these uncertain times it’s key that we all try to focus on the positives. For the row, that means recognising that I now have a boat and kit that’s ready to go and more time to refine my training. It is my intention to postpone to next year and undertake the crossing in the early months of 2022. Whilst that’s a goal that will require me to raise more sponsorship - a task not to be underestimated in the current market - as always, where there’s a will there’s a way. I’ve learnt a lot over the last 3 years and the process to date has provided ample opportunity for personal and professional development. The row has also provided great motivation to stay fit and healthy during lockdown. But staying active has not been so easy for everyone. The statistics about the negative impact that the pandemic has had on women’s activity levels are incredibly worrying. You can learn more in this UK Active article, published today. 

To seek to counter this inactivity, and to celebrate the period when I should have been on the water, we are launching a month-long challenge called the Sea Change Sport #350Challenge. All the details will be shared next week and we hope to see you all signing up to participate.  

For now I’d like to say a huge thank you to my team, partners, sponsors and all of my family and friends for their continuing support and belief in my objectives. It’s been a really testing time and I couldn’t do any of this without you. 

Here’s hoping that first glass of rum in Barbados will taste all the sweeter for overcoming these unexpected challenges!

Victoria