This mainland-to-mainland attempt will see the 21-year-old will set three world records: the first female to row this crossing solo and unsupported, the youngest person to complete this crossing in any boat, and the youngest female to go from any mainland to mainland across the Atlantic Ocean in any boat.
It will consist of rowing for 15 hours a day, navigating through orca and shark-infested water and waves up to 30 feet high. This will be Zara’s first ocean crossing ever, and the first time she rows on an ocean will be when she leaves from Portugal.
To prepare for the row, she is training in the boat as much as possible, living on it, and entering bad conditions to practice. She will be travelling out to Portugal at the beginning of October to practise there, before departing on the main row in late October.
She is being sponsored by companies including Team Forces, Collins Aerospace, Telent, Civica, and Spectra Group. This row will be fundraising for two chosen charities: Women in Sport and Team Forces.
Zara recently completed her degree in BSc Physics at Loughborough University where she continued rowing and is also on a British Army contract. During her studies, Zara was a member of the Loughborough Students Rowing Club, in her first and second years of study, competing in their first boat.
Zara will be attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2025 to train to become a technical Army Officer.