Kinvara’s Dr Karen Weekes is a woman with a mission — for 70 days starting at the end of this year, she will row alone across 3,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that no Irishwoman has previously achieved.
It is a task that does not faze the adventure-loving sportswoman as she launches the event in the South Galway port this Saturday, in readiness for the commencement of rowing in mid December. People are urged to go along to the Kinvara Pier at 5pm to see the vessel she will row.
“The boat is called Millie, after my mother. She was a very positive person and it would be nice to have her along the way...it would be meaningful,” she said as she comes to the peak of fitness preparation for the arduous journey ahead.
“I’ve done a lot of endurance journeys before this so this is really the next logical step for me - a feat of endurance to try and push myself mentally and physically further”
Rowing out there on your own is as much a psychologicla battle as a physical one, but she is determined that she will succeed, just as she has at previous endurance events. Dr Weekes is a sports psychologist who has taken a particular interest in the mental aspect of the trek.
No conversation
.
When she is mid-Atlantic, it is likely that the closest people to her will be the occupants of the International Space Station. She will be able to use WhatsApp and send SailorMail, but apart from, there won’t be any conversation.
Endurance exploits have been a passion for Karen for all her life and have included both water and land-based journeys, including cycling solo across Canada (Vancouver to Halifax ) 4003 miles, the circumnavigation of Ireland in a sea-kayak (1,000 miles ) and climbing Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya in Africa.
“When I was cycling across Canada, I was looking up other female solo cyclists who had crossed Canada. I thought I would relate better to seeing how a female coped with it. There really wasn’t many. I think having somebody who has done it before makes it easier for other women so my plan, as part of the SHECANDO campaign, is to provide a platform for other girls and women to do things that push them outside their comfort zone.’
The logistics of this achievement make for interetsing listening. She is a lecturer at Munster Technological University since 2004 on the Health and Leisure degree. With a PhD in sport psychology, Karen has worked extensively with both elite and non-elite athletes, specialising within the endurance genre, so she knows exactly what lies ahead of her out there alone in the middle of the ocean.
“When I really get into the rhythm of things, I would hope to be rowing about 16 hours a day and then the rest of the time will be feeding yourself, sleeping, doing navigation and doing updates for home,” she said.
The self-righting boat will have two cabins, one for living and one for storage. Dr Weekes aims to be the first Irish female to row solo 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, unsupported by any safety vessel. The route will be from Gran Canaria to Barbados and the journey is expected to take approximately 70 days.
Power
.
“The only way this boat propels is by my power. The reason you go down so far south [towards the Cape Verdes] is to try to catch the trade winds, so they should help me across as well, but primarily it will be powered from me rowing.”
If successful, she will become the first Irish female to row any ocean solo, and the 20th female in the world to row an ocean solo.
The lead sponsor for this event is Hanley Energy. Other sponsors include her empoloyers at Munster Technological University, Somex Automation, Collins Campers, Jim McKee Art, Kinvara Skincare and Rowing Ireland
“Having Hanley Energy on board as a lead sponsor is such an important part of the SHECANDO2021 campaign. The fact that members of the Hanley Energy management team are watersport and outdoor enthusiasts means they have a genuine understanding of what is involved in undertaking something like rowing solo across 3,000 miles of Ocean. ” says Karen Weekes.
Encouraging women
Speaking about the announcement Kim Madden of Hanley Energy, said they enjoy supporting non-mainstream sports that have an endurance aspect and Karen’s SHECANDO2021 campaign aligns closely with their sponsorship values and principles.
“We have a history of backing Irish teams and sports people accomplish the impossible and are proud to support Karen in achieving her goals,” said Kim Madden.
The #SHECANDO2021 aims and ethos are to get Karen across the Atlantic, with people sharing the journey, through the preparatory and ‘action’ phases of the row.
It also aims to provide a platform for encouraging women, and girls, to push themselves outside their current comfort zone and to believe in their abilities to succeed both in their work and everyday lives.
It has as an ongoing objective to icrease female participation in adventure sports and to illuminate two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically ‘gender equality’ and ‘life below water’, which focuses on the conservation of oceans and marine life.
The #SHECANDO2021 team are working hard to ensure these underpinning philosophies remain prevalent throughout the entire campaign
Get along on Saturday and wish Karen well, and we will be brining updates of her Atlantic Crossing on our social media and in this newspaper in December.
