Displaying items by tag: Aoife Ní Mhaoileoin
All-Female Team Completes Pacific Crossing, Setting World Record
#Boatylicious4 – Team Boatylicious have finished the Great Pacific Rowing Race, arriving in Hawaii at 2.14pm local time after 50 days at sea. Emily Blagden (GB), Amanda Challans (GB), Ingrid Kvale (USA) and Aoife Ní Mhaoileoin (IRL) are the first all-female four ever to complete the 2,400 mile crossing from Monterey to Honolulu. Ní Mhaoileoin is also the first Irish woman ever to complete the course.
"It's a surreal feeling, achieving a world record" said team captain Emily Blagden shortly after arriving at the Waikiki Yacht Club. "I've been planning for more than a year, but I could never quite picture this moment.
"Obviously, the last 51 days have been incredibly tough. We've faced storms, broken oars, a malfunctioning steering plate and plenty more, without ever getting a proper meal or a night's sleep. All the same, it's been an amazing experience."
The Great Pacific Race, which is in its inaugural year, requires a completely unsupported crossing. Since embarking on 18 June, the four women have maintained a punishing two-hours-on-two-hours-off schedule, eating mostly freeze-dried ration packs and producing drinking water using a solar-powered purifier.
"I think it will take time to fully appreciate the scale of what we've done," Blagden continued. "For now, we're incredibly glad to have arrived safely and to have had the opportunity to support several fantastic organisations."
Team Boatylicious is supporting Water Aid, Hopes and Homes for Children and The Ahoy Centre, with a fundraising goal of £40,000.
The team has faced particularly challenging conditions in recent days, having been forced into a sprint finish against Hurricane Iselle, the first hurricane to directly strike Hawaii in 22 years. The team arrived in Honolulu just hours before the storm. On Tuesday, a nearby team was towed to the finish line for safety reasons, at the insistence of the race organisers. Although there was a strong possibility that Team Boatylicious would also be towed, they managed to hold their speed and course despite the storm on their heels.
"We knew this would be the challenge of a lifetime, but a tropical storm was above and beyond what we predicted," commented Aoife Ní Mhaoileoin. "Apparently Mother Nature decided to throw us a pretty raucous welcoming party."
Dublin Woman to Row 2,400 Miles in Pacific Rowing Race
#rowing – On June 7, a doctor from Castleknock in Dublin will set off on a 2,400 mile rowing expedition from Monterey, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. Aoife Ní Mhaoileoin and her teammates, Emily Blagden, Laura Kennington and Ingrid Kvale, will be the first all-female four to complete the row, which will take over forty days.
'Team Boatylicious' is one of 15 crews participating in the inaugural Great Pacific Race, which the organisers describe as the "biggest, baddest human endurance challenge on the planet".
The team is raising money for two charities: Hope and Homes for Children, which works internationally to eradicate institutional care of children and The Ahoy Centre, which gives disadvantaged children and people with disabilities the opportunity to earn sailing qualifications.
"I'm drawn to the race as an opportunity to test all my physical and mental resources." Aoife says. Obviously it's a daunting prospect, particularly as I've never taken on a major rowing expedition before, but I can't wait to get out on the water in June.
"We are raising funds for two inspiring charities and we welcome donations to these causes. We're also inviting corporate sponsors to become part of the team by helping us to meet our race costs.
"We have been training intensely, as well as taking courses in sea survival and navigation. Beyond the physical and psychological training, there are also a huge number of practical considerations. We need to ensure that our boat is race ready and that we have reliable water-purifying equipment and plenty of food — we'll need to consume 5,000-6,000 calories a day!
"Less than three months out I am getting nervous, but if nothing else it's a great excuse for a holiday in Hawaii!"
