Dear Members,
One of our long standing rowers, Emma Gent, along with two other ladies, as a team called ‘The Conqueroars’ are taking on the challenge of rowing the Atlantic Ocean, in the Atlantic Dash January 2025.
This adventure will take the ladies 3,200 miles from Lanzarote to Antigua. The crossing is unsupported by any other vessel and will take them anywhere up to 3 months, maybe longer.
They are undertaking this endeavour for several reasons.
Firstly to raise money for three charities close to their hearts. Wales Air Ambulance. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service provide Consultant and Critical Practioner-delivered pre-hospital care across Wales, vital to us all in our rural community and hugely beneficial with specialist services moving further down the M4 corridor, the speed of recovery and the EMRTS extensive knowledge, skill base and on board life saving equipment provided 3,544 missions in 2021 alone. The Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that unfortunately affects one of the rowers, Rowena’s father, significantly impacting on his life daily causing numerous symptoms including numbness, pain and fatigue, and The Robin Cancer Trust which supports and educates young people on the signs and symptoms of testicular and ovarian cancer, a close friend of Emma’s discovered this charity after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it held a particular affinity to her as she had previously nicknamed Emma, Batman and as her partner in crime, had earned herself the name Robin, she sadly died shortly after diagnosis before managing to put in to practice the plans she had to raise money for them, in her place The Conqueroars have taken up the mantle.
Secondly to prove to themselves, their families and friends that quite simply you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Not only are they putting in considerable time, effort and energy in to fundraising, they are putting in hours of training and have raised the bar even higher by pooling resources and self-funding for a boat, Saga, which they plan to renovate themselves with assistance from Dale sailing, no mean feat for a Social Worker, Financial Advisor and an A&E Nurse!
Thirdly they are keen to promote women, not only in Sport but also with their soon to be, newly acquired skill set as renovators of Saga, which is basically a hull at present.
And lastly, in the immortal words of George Mallory, “because it’s there.” We all know these rowers are an odd bunch!
To enable their safe crossing they need to secure considerable funds for equipment, food, shipping of the boat, refurbishment of Saga, training in courses to educate them for a multi load of problems that could occur at sea, and life insurance for their families, (only kidding!)
If anyone can offer any help, support, sponsorship or funding it would be hugely appreciated.
Please also share their story far and wide, it may just reach the ears of the “Ryan Reynolds of Wrexham AFC” and perhaps they too could have their own celebrity sponsor!
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please follow their adventure from start to finish on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Kind regards
Christian Smart
PYC Commodore.