Debra Veal has completed the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge, arriving today (Saturday) at just after 11am Barbados local time, 3pm GMT after 111 days at sea.

Her epic rowing journey started on 7 October from San Juan, Tenerife at 09.15 GMT when Debra and her husband joined 35 other teams in their attempt to row the Atlantic from Tenerife to Barbados.

Her husband Andrew retired from the race on 21 October, 2001 after 14 days at sea leaving Debra to row the remaining 2,290 miles singlehandedly. The Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge is the world’s toughest rowing race with teams rowing 2,900 miles from Tenerife to Port St Charles Barbados.

Mike Kenney, Chief Executive of Wards Evans, the race sponsors, commented, “This is a fantastic finish to the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge and I am very pleased that all rowers have now arrived safely back on dry land. Debra has shown exceptional courage and determination to complete this awesome challenge and she is a real role model and inspiration. Everyone at Ward Evans has been following her progress on a daily basis and I would like to take this opportunity of behalf of everyone to say congratulations and good luck for the future, whatever her next challenge maybe.”

Throughout her voyage of discovery Debra kept a diary of her experience ranging from the highs of surfing huge waves to the lows of a near miss with a tanker. Debra has also entered the record books as she is now the 11th woman to have successfully rowed an ocean, and the 10th woman to have rowed the Atlantic. In the ORS (Ocean Rowing Society) Statistics she will be listed in the “Double Rows” with a statement of how many days Andrew was rowing with her as a team.