Annasley Park battled through storms, 'terrible' sea sickness and extreme isolation to complete the gruelling solo journey (Image: Lunova Studios)
A former Team GB cyclist has raised more than £131,000 for charity after rowing across the Atlantic unsupported. Annasley Park battled through storms, "terrible" sea sickness and extreme isolation to complete the gruelling solo journey from Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands to Barbados.
Members of Annasley’s family and dozens of locals turned out on the Caribbean island to give her a hero’s welcome as she arrived at the finish line on Thursday evening. She told the Express: “I wasn’t expecting really anyone to be honest, I wasn’t even expecting my family to come out at one point. It was a fantastic turnout.
Annasley faced some rough sea conditions as she approached the finish line at Port St Charles (Image: Lunova Studios)
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“There was a little girl called Eve that I’ve been thinking about the whole journey because she’s been following me from the get-go and I also met her little brother.
“That was a magical moment, to not only have my family there, but people that had heard about my story and came to see me. It was the best welcome I could have ever imagined.”
The former professional cyclist, who left the sport due to injuries, had a nightmare start to the challenge after her boat capsized within the first six hours.
Before and after the challenge - Annasley lost an estimated 8kg during the gruelling row (Image: Lunova Studios)
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She said the mental aspect was the hardest part of the 2,630-nautical mile row.
“The physicality of it is still tough, but it’s such a mental thing to do something like this.
“I had so many moments where I felt so much fear and was like ‘I don’t trust myself’ or ‘I don’t know what to do’.
“I was way over 1,000 miles out at sea and I had a few issues on board and I was the only one that could fix it.
“There was no one that was going to come and rescue me and it’s getting your head around that if you don’t do the thing you need to do to sort the situation out, then you’re stuck out there.
“It’s getting the courage to keep going and move forwards.”
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But despite the lows, there were highlights along the way, including being followed by a pod of dolphins for around 24 hours.
The 28-year-old from Herefordshire said she took on the challenge to learn more about herself and inspire others, while raising funds for four charities including BBC Children in Need and the military charity, The Clocktower Foundation.
Annasley hopes the challenge, which she completed in 54 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes, will raise £300,000 and says she might take on another, smaller challenge to “keep the ball rolling”.
