Two local businesswomen to row 3000 miles to raise money for charity

Two professional businesswomen from Gloucestershire and Hampshire are rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic this Christmas to raise £100,000 for Women’s Aid and Shelter charities.

Jessica Oliver from Dowdeswell, Cheltenham and a Salesforce consultant for BrightGen, and her friend Charlotte Harris (pictured) from Fleet, Hampshire, a Global marketing procurement specialist at Diageo, will be one of the first women rowing pairs since 2012 to take part in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Described as the world’s toughest row challenge, the friends who met at Cardiff University ten years ago through a shared passion for sport, have had no previous Ocean or rowing experience. They will row in their boat ‘Cosimo’ for 2 hrs on, 2 hrs off continuously for up to 60 days, making 1.5 million row strokes and battling sleep deprivation, sea sickness, blisters, 30ft waves, raging storms, whales, sharks, and blue marlin attacks.

Known as Team ‘Wild Waves,’ the pair will start the race on 12 December racing 35 teams from around the world, travelling west from the Canary Islands to Antigua and finally, Barbuda. 

Recognised as the premier event in Ocean rowing, both will be pushed to their absolute limits of their mental and physical wellbeing, and will need to consume 4000 calories a day and drink at least 10 litres of water a day.

On May 13 next year Wild Waves will also be hosting a Charity Ball in London to continue to raise money for Women’s Aid and Shelter charities.