One ocean to sail and four women to row it. A 8.446 mile journey from San Francisco, USA, to Cains, Australia, in a 29ft boat. They are Natalia Cohen (39), Laura Penhaul (31), Emma Mitchell (29) and Isabel Burnham (30). They are The Coxless Crew, and PELI, their proud sponsor.
In just a few days, this group of young will attempt a new world record by becoming the first ever fours crew to row the Pacific Ocean, in the process raising over £250,000 for Walking With the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care.
Bringing awareness towards Breast Cancer is, indeed, this crew’s highest priority. As 31 year old Laura Penhaul from London said: “The pain that we will endure in doing battle with the Pacific, is nothing in comparison to that which those diagnosed with cancer face on a day-to-day basis. We hope that this row draws attention to the disease and encourages women to get screened and check themselves regularly as early detection can dramatically help survival rates”.
In effect, every year, roughly 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and one in every eight women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Pop superstar Kylie Minogue is well aware of that, since she has beaten dreast cancer herself. And so, she didn’t hesitate to accept when The Coxless Crew proposed her to become their Patron.
Upon accepting that honor, Kylie said: “From my own personal experience of having fought and overcome cancer, I know how difficult it is sometimes to find that necessary inner strength. These four women are going to face unexpected challenges I cannot even begin to imagine out there on the ocean and will have to learn how to overcome them. The passion and dedication that Natalia, Laura, Emma and Isabel have already shown is remarkable and I hope their journey will be as joyous as it will be tough. I wish them all luck and success and I will be following their progress closely.”
You can follow their journey and help them raise the money by going to www.coxlesscrew.com