21-year-old Cambridge woman to take on ‘mad’ unsupported row from Europe to South America

A 21-year-old from Cambridge is hoping to become a record holder for the youngest person and the first woman to row unsupported from Europe to South America.

Zara Lachlan will attempt to row by herself from Portugal to French Guiana in October, facing the dangers of orcas, sharks and pirates while raising money for Women in Sport, a charity aiming to address gender inequality in sport.

The physics student at Loughborough University said she has “never seen an ocean rowing boat before” and admits she is “terrified” of the challenge ahead but hopes to inspire others to “do things you’re scared of”.

“There will be orcas for the first couple of weeks when I’m coming off Portugal,” she said.

“There’s a pod of orcas down there that sink boats, so I’ll be avoiding them, and then sharks when I get into South America.

“I expect 20 to 30ft waves during my crossing and pirates in the middle.”

Zara has been rowing since the age of 16 and learnt to sail in yachts and dinghy boats last year, but said she does not “have much experience on the open water”.

She will row for 15 hours a day over a three-month period and said fatigue will be difficult during the challenge.

“It’s three months of being tired physically and mentally and I’ll be alone. It will be the first time ever that I’ve been alone for three months,” said Zara.

“But I think every person I’ve spoken to that’s done a similar row or challenge by themselves said they found something new about themselves and it changed their life.”

She hopes to break three world records for youngest person and first woman to row solo and unsupported from Europe to South America and the youngest female to row from any mainland to mainland across the Atlantic solo.

She hopes to encourage more women to take up sport and physical activity after her friends expressed feeling scared going to the gym alone.

“I didn’t realise the amount of women that didn’t do sport and fitness because they didn’t want to start because they were nervous or scared and they didn’t want to go to a gym, not know anyone and not know how to use the equipment,” she explained.

She said that when she moved to Dublin “all of the universities get free access to gyms, but all of my friends who are girls had never gone”.

After telling them about her challenge, that changed.

“We started working out together and started the process of being active, so now they still go even though I’m not there, which is really nice,” she added.

Zara will raise money for Women in Sport, a charity that “encourages people to learn about their bodies”.

She said: “The biggest drop-offs that women have in activities is when they go through puberty and menopause, when your body changes a lot and you’re lacking in confidence.

“They run women-only things and teach you how to do whatever it is that you want to do in a safe place where you’re not going to get looked at by anyone.”

Zara, who hopes to become a technical officer in the British Army next year, said her friends and family have described her as “mad” for taking on the “horrible” challenge.

“When I told my mother she cried. I’m the youngest of her children so she was nervous like any parent would be. She’s scared but still very supportive,” she said. “Everyone has said kind things about it but are mainly just confused.”

Despite her fears, she plans to take on the challenge with a “positive” mindset.

“Everything I can control I’m going to be fine in. I’m going to have absolute faith in my boat,” she said. “But there’s not really any point worrying about it. I’m not going to talk to the orcas and say ‘don’t break my boat please’ so I’m just going to go into it with a positive mental attitude.

“Do things that you’re scared of. I’m terrified to do it, but I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’m doing something that terrifies me, so if I can do this then you can go to the gym.”