'Unsporty' Yorkshirewoman helps set record for rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean

Even more now that she and her teammates have set a new world record after rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in one of the toughest races in the world.

The former Ripon Grammar School student only took up rowing during the pandemic.

After setting off from La Gomera in the Canaries in December with a fleet of 38 other crews from around the world, she and her teammates crossed the line in Antigua in the Caribbean on Monday.

Rowing two hours on two hours off, Bobbie and her Wavebreakers teammates Hatty Carder and Katherine Antrobus battled sleep deprivation, blisters and sores, physical extremes, equipment malfunctions, and the psychological challenges of the open ocean.

In the first week they had terrible weather and capsized and had to put out a parachute anchor to stop the boat. “We dropped right to the back of the fleet”, said Bobbie, 34, who is global head of sustainability for Vodafone and has recently bought a home in Nidderdale.

“Once we got through that it was a good thing that all the bad things happened at the beginning as we built lots of resilience, it was almost training for the rest of the journey.

“We worked our way up through the fleet and somehow made a world record. It’s quite a simple formula – keep rowing whatever happens. It’s just like life.”

In the end they knocked almost two days off the record set in 2021, making it in 40 days, 10 hours and 51 minutes. When The Yorkshire Post caught up with Bobbie she was finding it quite painful to walk having spent such a long time seated – but was also feeling euphoric.

She said: “It’s wasn’t the physicality of it, it’s just relentless. There’s no escape from the elements. It was really, really hot. If you are in discomfort there’s very few things you can do to relieve it. There’s no shade and you’re rowing in almost 40 degrees, no way to cool down."

Her teammates had been amazing: “We spent a lot of time before the race, getting to know each other, understanding, it’s really important to understand what different people need at different moments. We’re really close as a team and know how to support each other and were kind and forgiving – it pushes you to your limits.”

So far they’ve raised £84,000 towards their £140,000 fundraising target for two charities close to their hearts: the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Crisis Fund and the UNHCR’s Climate Crisis Work.

Bobbie is looking forward to helping others make their own challenges come true, having experienced huge support from friends and family. She said: "It’s just unbelievable, we are just three very normal women. I really feel it just shows anyone can do anything.”

To donate go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wavebreakers2023.