ROWING IT ALONE

On 7 October 2001, Debra and Andrew Veal set off from Tenerife in a rowing boat. They were the only mixed pair in the Ward Evans Transatlantic Rowing Challenge. After two weeks, Andrew - despite being the more experienced rower - abandoned ship, having realised he was terrified of the open seas. Seizing the opportunity to pit herself single-handedly against the ocean, Debra spent over three months tackling one of the world's toughest sporting challenges on her own, at the same time testing the limits of her psychological strength and endurance. This is Debra's account of her solo trip, in which she dramatically conveys the feelings of exhilaration, the emotional lows, the inner calm, the loneliness, and the final triumph.