Rachel began rowing when she was 53, after spotting a six-oar rowing boat in Bristol harbour Fascinated by its size and distinctive appearance, she was encouraged to do a trial run. "As soon as I got on the water. I was hooked," she says. "Feeling your whole body working and the fresh air on your skin is amazing."
It wasn't until 2017, though, that Rachel's Atlantic plans were born. She had experienced back pain occasionally since her teens, and then one day, while at home, she was suddenly unable to walk
"I knew I needed to keep myself healthy-minded, so I began thinking of things I could look forward to after I had surgery," she said.
Rachel had retired a few years earlier, when she moved from Bristol to the coast to help look after her elderly mother. "Every time I decided to go on holiday or leave, I'd get a call to find out mum was in hospital. Eventually, I stopped making plans," she says. "But as soon as I was disabled myself, it made me realize that I had to do something to make my own life count."
After successful surgery, Rachel began driving around the country to meet other women who had undertaken endurance rows. Hearing the experiences and advice of other athletes gave Rachel the confidence she needed. Soon after, she heard that a new boat maker was building a team for a maiden voyage across the Atlantic. So Rachel began intensive training, even adapting her garden into a gym during the Covid lockdowns. Finally, she set off in 2021.
Empowered by this successful expedition, she has been inspired to keep pushing the limits, planning to break a few world records by rowing around the UK at 64, and motorcycling through the Himalayas later in the year. "I know my body is changing and the physical challenge is greater, but that just makes me want to achieve even more," she says.
