Ocean Rowing:
the power of effective teamwork and strength through adversity
Taylor Winyard
Tuesday, 8th October 2024
Eastgate Theatre, Peebles, 7.30 p.m.
Taylor Winyard tells us about how she completed the World’s Toughest Row-Pacific Challenge this summer as part of a female trio. The race was a 2,800-mile unsupported row from Monterey Bay, California to Kaua’i, Hawaii.
Her goal was to inspire a generation of women to reach beyond their comfort zone, and also to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK. Despite the technically challenging conditions they faced, the team completed the crossing in an incredible 38 days – a new world record.
The mid-Pacific is a relatively new and untouched route, and one of the first tasks was to take on the famous ‘wall of wind’ off the Californian coast, which can easily capsize boats, as well as facing the menacing presence of sharks and orca whales.
Taylor will give an insight into what drives her to achieve her goals and the lessons she has learnt along the way. She will share how her crossings tested the limits of physical endurance, mental resilience, and the importance of teamwork in the face of adversity.
Taylor Winyard is a world-record holding ocean rower, now holding world records for crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. She is also the first Scot to row across both oceans.
By day, Taylor is a Director at Stobo Castle Health Spa. At home on the water as a former sprint kayaker, Taylor was one of the 12 athletes fast-tracked onto the UK Sport Girls4Gold talent ID programme launched by British Canoeing in 2014.
In 2019, her adventurous spirit took her to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, then across the Atlantic Ocean in 2021 as part of a mixed trio, and in 2024 across the mid-Pacific Ocean as one of a female trio.
