The Antigua Island Girls take on the Pacific

In December 2018, four fearless women set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean towards their home shores in beautiful Antigua & Barbuda.

Upon their arrival at the historic Nelson’s Dockyard in January 2019, Kevinia Francis, Samara Emanuel, Christal Clashing and Elvira Bell deservedly received a hero’s welcome from the thousands of residents who converged to catch a glimpse of this historic moment.

And historic it was. Not only were these four Antiguans the first all-woman team from the Caribbean to compete in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) but they were also the first all-black team to cross any ocean in the world. Managing to cross the Atlantic in the world’s toughest row in just 47 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes, the ‘Fab Four’ also raised an incredible US$222,000 for their chosen charity as well as inspiring their fellow citizens and women to achieve greatness.

But this intrepid group of women certainly aren’t resting on their laurels. In June this year, they will be taking part in the inaugural Atlantic Campaigns: World’s Toughest Row - Pacific. Intended to be an annual race, like its Atlantic counterpart, in 2023, 14 teams will be participating, starting off from the historic harbour of Monterey in California and rowing 2,800 miles to the finishing point at Hanalei Bay on the stunning island of Kaui in Hawaii. For the duration of the race, the teams will be battling against mother nature at her fiercest. As a relatively new route, this exciting new Pacific Challenge will offer up different adventures from the Atlantic crossing, new World Records and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

The Citizen caught up with the Island Girls between gruelling training sessions to talk about this new and exciting race.

When the World’s Toughest row - Pacific was presented, you all initially said you weren’t interested. What changed your minds?

We changed our minds relatively quickly. We were open to another adventure, except we were thinking land-based. Curiosity and then excitement quickly followed our initial reaction. We thought, “We have some experience, we certainly have the tenacity, we have the moral support, and this is a new initiative that would allow us to help write the script.” We couldn’t come up with a concrete response to why not, so here we are.

How will crossing the Pacific be different to the transatlantic race?

The Pacific is a bigger, deeper ocean. It has the Ring of Fire and larger, more abundant wildlife. Additionally, for the first 12 or so days, we will battle coastal winds, waves and currents trying to push us backwards. We are informed that, afterwards, the conditions should be like the Atlantic. How we master those first two weeks is the primary factor determining how long we’ll be at sea. Sam still isn’t keen on too much wildlife interaction, so we’re in for some antics!

That aside, we have the experience to match the theory. For the Atlantic row, there was the choice of freshman fear or freshman exuberance. We chose the latter. We were fit and determined. Our tactic was that we were going to row three-up for the first few days and drive some licks on the miles. But right out of the harbour, seasickness punched us to the point that we were in danger of having Elvira ejected from the race. Then, later, the sea conditions were flat—no winds nor waves—and that forced a change in strategy and our racecourse. Then we had a myriad of technical issues with the boat.

This time around, we’re more eager than anxious. This will allow us to be more efficient and means we will enjoy the journey more. Yes, we will be pushing to complete within a certain time, but we now know how to balance the row grind with being present in the moment and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.

A big difference this time is that we have a new boat, so we don’t expect to have some of the technical issues we encountered with Jean Mary, which was on her fourth crossing.

This time around, we’re more eager than anxious. This will allow us to be more efficient and means we will enjoy the journey more.

Does this race seem less daunting since you’ve already crossed the Atlantic?

It is less daunting because we know that we can do it and surmount the hurdles. But we’re not precarious about our approach to this challenge at all. On the contrary, we are mindful of the challenges and, if anything, have greater reverence for the sea.

Can you tell us more about the charity you are supporting and how you are raising money?

We are raising money to construct a home for girls in conflict with the law: those with infractions that run the gamut from fighting to wounding, break-ins and larceny, theft, prostitution and everything before, after and in between.

'This is a collaboration with the Family and Social Services Division in the Ministry of Social Transformation. Presently, girls who run afoul of the law have nowhere to go. They are either sent to group homes or prison, exacerbating their problems. We’ve had people say to us,“Why this charity?” - the inference being that it addresses an issue that we are loathe to place on the front street.

But the reality is we can talk about the problem, we can sit back and talk about the reasons for the problem, we can act like it’s someone else’s problem, or we can roll up our sleeves and each in our own way do something about the problem. Besides, a girl in conflict with the law is like every other girl with hopes and dreams and deserves a chance to have people hold space for her.

The Antigua Island Girls

Photocred: Atlantic Campaigns/Penny Bird

Have you made any changes to how you are training this time?

Certainly! The major difference is that we’re blessed to have the indomitable double-world record holder Mark Slats as our trainer. The Dutchman, who has an impressive ocean resume, holds the solo world record set in the 2017-18 Atlantic Challenge and with Kai Wiedmer, the doubles record set in 2020-21. With Mark, we focus mainly on core strength and efficiency of our row technique—posture, catch, drive and recovery phase. We’re also keen on the importance of executing more power within one stroke and not focusing on the speed of the stroke.

Focusing on efficient stroke patterns and stroke rate facilitates our longevity on the oars. The last time, we did some of this, albeit not at this level, and we concentrated a lot on our overall fitness. Also, Sam, the seafarer, was the go-to girl in the last row because of her experience. With navigation, electrical, and technical problems, Sam was pressed into duty. This time, we are training to have an efficient division of labour. Christal is in charge of logistics; Elvira will be the electrician; Sam is navigation, and Kevinia is medical. We are all getting the necessary training and certifications. These are significant improvements on the last row.

How have your lives changed since the last challenge?

Unless we’re counting Elvira getting married, nothing fundamentally changed for us. We fell back into our regular routines, buoyed by the experience.

Did you know that:

The Pacific Ocean is the world's deepest ocean.

Just 82 people in 33 boats have ever successfully rowed to Hawaii from mainland USA.

The first person to row the Pacific was Patrick Quesnel in 1976.

75% of world's volcanoes are in the Pacific Ocean basin, called "The Ring of Fire".

The average crossing time for all crew is 62 days.

To donate to Antigua Island Girls and their cause, hit the link: www.gofundme.com/f/team-antigua-island-girlsback-on-the-row-again

Antigua Island Girls

Photocred: KO Photography