Team Anna Victorious

Six months to go and now it’s the little things that make the difference.

We are now six months away from the start of this year's Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and we are on the verge of completing the mandatory hours on the boat (although we intend to complete many more than the minimum).  We have built a great foundation both through technique and training with the help of Dan Harris from GB Rowing. We have learned so much about fueling, nutrition and hydration with the support of Phillipa from Savernake Nutrition. So now we are considering the “small” things that don’t even enter your head when you first decide to row an ocean.

Once we are in the rowing seat the objective is to stay there until the end of our shift. We are currently working,  two hours rowing, two hours off so moving from that seat will hinder our progress. We have had new pouches made to fix to the inside of the hull that will house things that we need to get to easily once we are at the oars.  All our day packs are different but they include sun cream, snacks, sunglasses, and hydration amongst other things.  We are really happy to be working with the Operators Coffee Club who is based in Denmark. They were one of the first companies to come on board and we have received regular “care packages” which have included not only the most amazing coffee (obviously) but sunscreen, sunglasses and Frozen lego (for Alba, not Adam, much to his disappointment).  These have formed the basis of what we reach for when the going gets tough. It was as if Johan, the CEO of Operators Coffee Club, knew what we would need. When you are already sleep-deprived and exhausted, there is nothing better than an amazing cup of coffee before you get back on the oars.

In our last row, Rob and Ed were on the oars and were fortunate to see the sunrise over the coastline into the most spectacular dawn over the English Channel. The only issue was that Rob had left his sunglasses in the cabin where Adam was now sleeping. Perhaps due to not wanting to wake Adam from his much-needed beauty sleep and probably not wanting to break the rhythm he and Ed had set, he decided not to get out of his seat to fetch the eyewear! As the sun rose and the temperature began to increase, Ed removed his sunglasses to take his hoodie off and said “blimey Rob I don’t know how you have been rowing without your sunglasses.” This is when it came to light that Rob had been rowing for an hour with his eyes shut and might have gone some way to explaining why he and Ed’s oars had clashed more often than usual. So can sunglasses make you row faster? The answer is definitely YES!

With crossed fingers, we are looking forward to events that we can say thank you to our other corporate sponsors City Asset Management, Vodafone, Porsche Retail Group, and Sunseeker. It is such an honour to work with such amazing organisations. The innovation they show and commitment to their teams and customers fit so well with our desire to inspire and empower people to follow their dreams.  In a recent call with Vodafone, we were really touched when Mo, who has an incredibly technical job title, announced that he had made it possible to speak to our children on Christmas morning and announced “this is why I got into communications, to allow people that really get in touch to speak!” We can’t express how important this is to us and our families.

We can’t wait to see you too.  We are planning a few events between now and Christmas so if you are into wine watch this space!