Annapolis Rower and Canadian Teammate Breaking World Record Rowing Across Atlantic
On Saturday, January 27 06:42 local time, Lauren “Nini” Champion (Annapolis) and Lisa Roland (Brantford, Ontario, CA) crossed the finish line in English Harbour, Antigua, after 45 days, one hour, and 27 minutes, setting a new World Record for the fastest Women’s pair team to row across the Atlantic Ocean in the World’s Toughest Row. Beating the previous World Record set in 2021 by Wild Waves of 45 days, seven hours, and 25 minutes. Only five hours and 58 minutes difference!
Lisa and Nini of Team Ocean Grown both work in the sailing industry and have more than 60,000 nautical miles at sea between them.
When asked about the biggest challenge on the crossing, it was not the waves high as houses, knock downs, equipment failures, or the countless hours on the oars that bothered the team.
Nini said, “The first week we were kind of acclimatizing, but the next two to three weeks we were at sea there was really light wind. When we were in those conditions, we were learning diligence of getting up for your watch. So very vividly I remember you would have your alarm go off and your mind wakes up. You feel your body come into itself. You are aching everywhere, and all of a sudden, there is something deep within yourself saying, ‘I gotta get up for my watch and keep going,’ so there is this driving force that keeps you going. Maybe not the hardest moment but it’s definitely a moment where you overcome something.”
Team Ocean Grown has developed the Bridges Over Water Fund. The aim of the fund is to provide ten young adults who have aged out of the foster care system with an opportunity to find a career suitable to them in the maritime industry.
Learn more about the team here: https://www.oceangrown.co/ ; learn more about the World's Toughest Row
Read the SpinSheet article about Team Ocean Grown here.
