Zara Lachlan Shatters Records With Solo Row Across The Atlantic

Zara Lachlan made history on February 1, 2025, as the first woman and youngest person to row solo, unsupported, and non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. The 21-year-old British student completed the 4,100-mile (6,598 km) voyage from Europe to South America in 97 days, 9 hours, and 20 minutes. Remarkably, Lachlan had minimal ocean rowing experience before taking on the difficult challenge.

Lachlan began her journey from Lagos, Portugal, on October 27, 2024. Initially, her biggest struggle was cleaning the hull of her rowboat. Not being a strong swimmer, she dreaded diving into the water and going underneath the boat. But Lachlan conquered her fears. By the end of the row, she even began to enjoy her daily swim.

The ocean, however, had more hurdles in store. A few weeks into her trip, Lachlan had a small cut that bled a lot. As she rinsed her wound in the ocean, a shark appeared. It circled her boat for nearly an hour before finally swimming away.

The following night, Lachlan spotted a large ship heading straight toward her. She tried to alert the vessel with radio calls and a warning flare but received no response. Luckily, Lachlan was able to steer away just in time.

“I could see on the AIS (automatic identification system) where they were going to go and it was directly towards me, so I got on the radio and I used a white flare, but they still didn’t reply. They missed me by 0.1 of a mile (160 m), which is nothing,” she recalls.

Other challenges included a broken oar, rough weather that nearly capsized her boat, and damage to her communications equipment. On day 40, Lachlan shattered the screen of her primary phone, leaving her unable to listen to music while rowing. But the hardest part of the trip was rowing past the Canary Islands.

"It felt like all of the winds and weather were against me. I was pushing hard for 21 hours a day and going just 11 miles (17.7 km) It was soul crushing,” she said.

Despite the setbacks, Lachlan pushed forward and completed her journey. Beyond setting records, the 21-year-old used her row to raise money for two nonprofits that promote sports participation. She hopes her journey will encourage more women and girls to make sports a part of their lives.

“I know it seems like an extreme way to inspire other women to get into fitness, but I want people to realize their potential, and if I can do something that I find scary then other women can attempt a challenge of their own," Lachlan said.

Resources: Si.com, womeninsport.org, BBC.com