Former Guide talks about her Atlantic crossing adventure

A former Guide returned to her unit to talk about her experience taking part in the ‘World’s Toughest Race’.Molly Hemeter, 26, was welcomed back by the 4th King’s Lynn Guides where spoke about her achievement being part of a team which successfully rowed thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera to Antigua.The former King Edward VII (KES) pupil’s love of rowing began at university where she became an avid rower.

Molly was part of a team of four who took part in the extremely challenging endurance race to raise money for Abbie’s Army, a charity which funds medical research and helps families of children with brain cancer.The adventure was three years’ in the planning and involved a lot of fundraising and gruelling training while working during the week in London.The team called their boat the Atlantic Fusion and their voyage began last December rowing in three-hour shifts, 24 hours a day. They experienced a ferocious storm with waves 40-feet high during which two of their oars broke making rowing difficult. Highlights for Molly were seeing pods of dolphins, a minke whale and being visited by Atlantic gulls.More scary moments included sailing close to large container ships hoping their little boat could be seen on the ship’s navigation system, battling sleep deprivation, salt sores and the physical extremes of the race which they completed in January. The crossing took 44 days, five hours and 55 minutes to complete before reaching the finishing point in Antigua where they were met by family and friends with their efforts raising £65,000 for their chosen charity.The Guides enjoyed the evening and asked a range of questions from the daily living conditions on board a small vessel to the communications systems which enabled the crew to stay in contact with their base.At the end of the evening Molly was presented with a donation for her charity.