#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."
