When Claire hit 30, far from settling down and considering herself approaching middle age, she discovered a new lease of life and re-engaged with her love of the great outdoors and travel. Claire loves a challenge and likes to set herself something new each year.
This has led to a passion for water based and, in true British style, sitting down sports. She started rowing in 2012 and very quickly caught the bug, racing regionally and nationally. She also loves sea kayaking and the freedom and self-sufficiency of being able to kayak and wild camp.
From there Claire has gone on to do the Rickshaw Run in India, as well as being part of a mixed crew to row across the Atlantic Ocean, earning her a World Record!
Claire has experience under expedition conditions around the world, and is now keen to see just how far she can push her body and mind.
Claire also shares more about her next challenge to row the Northwest Passage, the Arctic route that links the Atlantic and the Pacific. This will be a true test of human achievement and endeavour. This challenge will be one of the world’s “last great firsts”.
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Show notes
- Who is Claire
- What family life was like
- Getting into walking at 14 years old
- Her first ever mountain!
- Not enjoying school and being lonely
- Female role models in childhood
- Thinking of the obstacles that stoped her being adventurous
- Starting to get into kayaking
- Heading to Canada in 2009 to go Kayaking
- Kayaking and wild camping in Norway
- The challenging of kayaking in Cuba
- Confidence and self belief
- Lacking confidence
- Telling people about adventures
- Cycling Coast 2 Coast (C2C) in a day
- Being nervous about holding people back
- The Rickshaw Run Race
- Being a woman in India
- 12 hours of driving every day
- Deciding to row the Atlantic Ocean
- How the team evolved
- Joining the crew in September 2017
- Rowing the Atlantic Ocean in December 2018
- Funding the challenge £100K
- Her role in the team
- 2hrs on rowing and 2 hrs off
- What the cabin was like
- Being the only woman on the boat
- Dealing with periods
- The lessons learned from rowing the Atlantic Ocean
- Testing her limits
- The next challenge - Rowing the North West Passage 2021
- What has to be done between now and the start of the row
- The challenge of raising the funds
- The physical training involved
Social Media
Next Goal - to row the Northwest Passage 2021, the Arctic route that links the Atlantic and the Pacific
- A true test of human achievement and endeavour, a team of Ocean Rowers & Explorers are attempting one of the world’s “last great firsts”