By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
After 38 days at sea, the Salty Scientists team rowed into first place for the women’s class in the Atlantic 2023: The World’s Toughest Row.
The crew of four women marine biologists from across North America, included SFU’s professor of biological science, Isabelle Côté. The team engaged in the challenge of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. They began in San Sebastian de la Gomera, Spain and ended in Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua and Barbuda.
After their time at sea, The Peak connected with the Salty Science Team to ask about their journey and mission of raising money for ocean conservation.
“Our three main goals were to complete the crossing safely, have the most fun possible during the challenge, and finish as friends — and row as quickly as we can,” said the team. “Rowing into English Harbour, Antigua (the finish line) was such an amazing feeling. The sense of accomplishment after such a feat is incredible.”
Participating in the row with Côté was Chantale Bégin, professor at the University of South Florida, Lauren Shea, UBC master’s student focusing on Oceans and Fisheries, and Noelle Helder from University of Alaska Fairbanks. Their goal for participating in the row was to raise funds for donations to three marine conservation organizations: ShellBack Expeditions, Bamfield Marine Science Centre, and Greenwave. The team explained the reason for selecting these organizations was the tangible solutions-focused approach that each engages in. They also noted the importance of their research’s support of diversity, equity and inclusion to opportunities within the marine science field.
The journey was not straightforward; the Salty Scientists encountered many obstacles during their row, from salt sores to exhaustion and morale upkeep. “For the most part, we all agreed on what we needed to do, and there were few instances where we needed to have a purposeful conversation to come to an agreement. But getting the four of us on deck at the same time to discuss options and hear each other out was key to facilitating the communication [we] needed,” explained the team.
The team described the weather as a continuous challenge, especially within the first week of the row. During this time they faced 25-foot waves crashing on the side of the boat. The boat, nicknamed Emma, had many things break “that weren’t sustainable for the whole crossing. Luckily, things calmed down eventually.”
Among the challenging moments there were many once-in-a-lifetime experiences the women encountered. On their journey they were visited by a school of over 50 dolphins who swam alongside the boat. The team also noted their appreciation for the stunning sunrises at sea, and the feeling of installing a new water maker after the original had been broken for approximately five days.
“All four of us are marine biologists, and all care deeply about marine conservation, so it took no time to decide what we would support through this adventure. Why should anyone else care about the health of ocean ecosystems? Because it is home to a huge amount of biodiversity, and we humans rely on oceans for food, coastal protection, climate regulation and oxygen production,” said the team.
The Salty Scientist teams are still accepting donations, which will be split into three ways: ShellBack, Bamfield, and Greenwave. Donations are taken at https://saltyscience.org.
