45 Days, One hour and 27 minutes. 

That’s how long Nini Champion and Lisa Roland spent rowing non-stop in the Atlantic Ocean during the 2023 Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000 nm unassisted ocean row beginning in La Gomera, Spain and finishing in the Caribbean port of English Harbour, Antigua.

(For our non-maritime audience, that’s over 3452 land miles and 5555 kilometers!) 

In two-hour increments and through every curveball from Mother Nature imaginable, the ladies traded rowing, eating, and sleeping duties, all while setting a new world record for the women’s pair in this event. 

Sara chats with both Nini and Lisa today as they share details about their inspiration for this feat of endurance, their training regime, how they stayed alert and supportive of each other’s physical and mental needs. 

Yes, it’s extremely important to be physically strong, as they say, but these two women who both have impressive resumes in the sailing industry, also stress the importance of having a strong mindset and a mission-drive goal. 

Their mission? It’s a personal one, especially for Lisa. They raise money for their Bridges Over Water Program, providing scholarships for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system and want to pursue a career in the maritime industry. Lisa herself was a product of the foster care system and, at 15, experienced challenges with addiction and homelessness. Sailing saved her and she and Nini hope to provide the same safety net for others. 

Not only is this an inspiring (and also humorous) look at their race and expedition, it is also an example of two women succeeding together and elevating the possibilities in a male dominated industry — which is women’s performance at its best.

cover photo courtesy of World's Toughest Row

Team Ocean Grown Website

Bridges Over Water Grant Fund

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