Respect

21-year-old teacher is youngest woman ever to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean

by Joseph Guzman | Feb. 22, 2021 | Feb. 22, 2021

Story at a glance

  • Jasmine Harrison, 21, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean alone in 70 days, three hours and 47 minutes.
  • Over the course of her journey, Harrison came close to colliding with a drilling ship and capsized twice.
  • Harrison said she was inspired to participate in the challenge after seeing the 2018 race finish while she was teaching swimming in the Caribbean.

A British swimming teacher has set a world record as the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean after finishing the 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic. 

Jasmine Harrison, 21, departed from the Canary Islands on Dec. 12 and arrived in Antigua in the Caribbean 70 days, three hours and 48 minutes later as part of the 2020 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. The ocean rowing event includes dozens of boats from around the world with some solo rowers and others with teams of up to four. 

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Over the course of her journey, Harrison came close to colliding with a drilling ship and capsized twice. With about 100 miles to go on the record-setting trip, Harrison capsized and injured her elbow. 

“I was basically thrown at a wall at 20-odd miles an hour. That’s going to hurt, especially in the middle of your sleep,” she told The Guardian. 

During the trip, Harrison would row for two hours and sleep for two hours on rotation. While she was cut off from the world, she was able to use a satellite phone to make calls back home. 

Harrison said she was inspired to participate in the challenge after seeing the 2018 race finish while she was teaching swimming in the Caribbean. 

“It just felt like I needed to do it,” Harrison told Good Morning Britain Monday, adding that she only started rowing in July. “I knew I wouldn’t be happy until I had rowed across the Atlantic.” 

Prior to Harrison, the youngest woman to row across the Atlantic ocean with Katie Spotz, an American who made the journey in 2010 at age 22. 

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