Angus rower Robyn Hart-Winks saw in the New Year with a mid-Atlantic dram and a flying fish as a first foot.
The 29-year-old teacher is currently powering her way 3,000-miles across the open ocean with two pals in an event tagged ‘the world’s toughest row’.
Last month, Scotland and GB rower Robyn embarked with University of London rowing club pals Louise Cox and Jordan Cole-Hossain on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
It’s a gruelling test of mental and physical strength against huge seas and unpredictable weather.
The trio are competing as The Tidewaves and have already passed the 1,200 nautical miles mark.
Former Highland Dancing champ
And Robyn was determined to make sure her crewmates enjoyed at least a tiny sample of a Scottish Hogmanay.
So she shared a nip of whisky from a quaich her mum packed as a good luck gift for the voyage.
However, there wasn’t enough room on their £60,000 state-of-the-art rowing boat for Robyn to show off the talent which saw her become a World Highland Dancing Champion as a teenager.
The boat – Dotty – is 25-feet long, five feet wide and weighs in under a tonne.
But it’s capable of tackling 40-foot waves in the shark-infested waters.
The women each need to consume 20,000 calories daily to keep their strength up and expect to lose around a fifth of their body weight during the challenge.
Instagram updates
The Tidewaves are keeping family and friends updated on Instagram.
And on January 1 Robyn posted: “Whisky from the quaich last night.
“We brought in the new year by sharing what we are grateful for and setting intentions for 2024.
“We also watched the moon rise and took 5 mins to lie down in the boat with the lights off and look at the stars.”
It was a tiny break in a relentless cycle of round-the-clock rowing with only a couple of hours of regular rest.
Robyn added: “We also read some more of our letters this morning and shed more tears over the beautiful words and motivational messages from so many people back home.
“We feel so loved and supported.”
Robyn is taking a sabbatical from her teaching role at Grove Park Primary School in London’s Chiswick to conquer the epic challenge.
Canary Islands start
The team is bound for Antiqua among a field of nearly 40 boats, from solo rowers to five-strong crews.
The Canary Islands village of San Sebastian witnessed an electric atmosphere for the start on December 13.
So far the women have faced sea-sickness, rough weather – and sore bums.
They’ve also encountered huge freight ships which have dwarfed Dotty, and flying fish close to the rowing boat.
But thankfully the sharks of the Atlantic Ocean have so far given them a wide berth.
The Tidewaves’ current rate of progress has them on target for a February 1 finish.
And an additional driver is the money they hope to raise for charities close to their hearts.
Sports Aid Scotland, London Youth Rowing and Access Sport are set to benefit.
You can donate to their fundraising HERE.
