A ROWER from South East Cornwall is set to be on the first crew to row the Atlantic in an Eco Boat.

Lorna Carter, who grew up in St Germans, is part of the Bristol Gulls, an all-female team preparing for December’s Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Lorna, along with captain Sofia Deambrosi and fellow crew members Chloe Juyon and Sarah Hunt, will row 3,000 nautical miles to raise money for the RNLI and Clean Up Bristol Harbour, two organisations that share their mission to promote a safe and sustainable relationship with our oceans.

Their vessel is the first of its kind and is made with innovative and sustainable materials: its foam core alone contains around 10,000 500ml recycled plastic bottles.The Gulls have teamed up with Rannoch Adventure to manufacture the Eco Rowing Boat.

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is an annual race that departs from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finishes in Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. Around 30 crews from around the world take part in a range of crew sizes and the aim is to complete the crossing unassisted.

The Gulls will row in pairs; rowing for two hours followed by two hours off. When not rowing, they will sleep, eat, clean and catch-up on jobs around the boat. Around 5,000-6,000 calories a day, each, will be needed to fuel the rowers, which will mainly come from freeze-dried or dehydrated meals. A solar panel operated ‘water maker’ (desalination unit) will be used to process sea water, making about 30 litres of water at a time to be used for hydration and cleaning. 

Lorna and the Bristol Gulls are currently crowdfunding with a goal of £45,000 to cover the necessary costs of the challenge such as the boat, equipment, food, travel, and insurance.

They aim to recover the majority of this money after the race by re-selling the boat and equipment.

Lorna said: ‘Any donations to our crowdfunding campaign will help us get to the start line ready to cross the Atlantic and this will ultimately fundraise for these two great charities. From the sale of our boat and equipment after the race, we are aiming to raise £11,000 to cover the 2020 operational costs of Portishead RNLI.’

She continued: ‘We’re hugely excited to be undertaking the Atlantic crossing in the world’s first eco boat. As Rannoch continue to explore other alternative materials and methods in the future, we hope Eco Boat Mk1 will inspire other marine manufacturers to try out more sustainable practices with their composite products.’

Despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the team have continued to train and raise awareness of their crowdfunding campaign. Throughout lockdown, the Gulls continued to train at home – including practicing rowing in the bath! After restrictions were loosened on outside exercise, they recently undertook a 24 hour socially distanced rowing challenge on Clifton Downs to raise awareness of their mission.

With the Gulls current fundraiser; “Buy a Mile”, you can buy a mile of their crossing for just £1 and leave a message that they will open up on the Atlantic: https://donorbox.org/buy-a-mile. Or you can buy them a meal for hristmas while away from family, a drink to celebrate their arrival, or a present for the ones that will be celebrating their birthday at sea at: https://www.thebristolgulls.com/sponsorship

Any donation to the campaign will mean you get to have your name displayed on ‘The Gulls’ Club’ page on their website. Donations of £100 or more mean you will be part of the journey across the Atlantic by having your name printed on the Eco Boat - the most sustainable boat ever rowed in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

To donate to The Bristol Gulls crowdfunding campaign visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/the-bristol-gulls

For more information and to find out about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected].