Ananya Prasad Has Become The First Woman Of Colour To Solo Row Across The Atlantic Ocean

52 days, 5 hours, and 44 minutes: that’s how long it took Ananya Prasad to traverse the Atlantic Ocean alone. Prasad embarked on a 3000-mile journey as the only female solo rower participating in this year’s World’s Toughest Row. The annual competition lives up to its name, as teams of up to five face extreme temperatures, 20-foot-tall waves, and sleep deprivation in their voyage across the ocean. Prasad set sail from the Canary Islands on December 11, 2024, and reached her destination, Antigua in the Carribean, on February 1st, making history as the first woman of colour to complete this arduous journey alone. 

The 32-year-old British-Indian trained for over three years to take on this enormous challenge. This entailed rigorous exercise, of course, but also a great deal of mental preparation. In an interview with one of her sponsors, Shackleton, Prasad explained that she worked with a mental performance coach to learn meditation techniques and breathing exercises to keep calm throughout her journey. Spending almost two months in complete isolation is no easy feat, but as Prasad said, “It’s all about getting comfortable with discomfort.” 

Prasad also had to gain a deep understanding of her only companion through this journey– her boat, aptly named ‘Odysseus.’ If something were to break on board, she had to know how to fix it. The rower mastered every technical aspect of her boat, ready to take on any unexpected challenge thrown her way.

Prasad’s achievement is beyond impressive on several levels. First, of course, is the physical strength and durability necessary for a task as taxing as this. In this challenge, all row boats are entirely unsupported, with no engines or motors used to propel them forward. As a solo rower, every single mile Prasad conquered was accomplished by her and her oars alone. This test in endurance was exacerbated by seasickness and a lack of sleep. Rowing 12 hours a day, Prasad didn’t have the opportunity to nap while her team members took over like other teams taking on this adventure. 

Facing these challenges would be difficult enough in a controlled environment, but became exponentially more so given the ocean’s unpredictability. Prasad had to endure high speed winds, downpouring rains, and currents so extreme that her boat nearly capsised twice. These conditions even caused one of her oars to break, and while she was prepared with spares, she had to endure these difficulties alone and with limited resources. In a particularly scary instance, her rudder, an essential part of the boat used to steer, snapped clean in half, necessitating Prasad to dive into the water during heavy winds to replace it. 

After all, rowers in the World’s Toughest Row are entirely self-sufficient. A long journey across the ocean isn’t like a roadtrip, where you can stop by the gas station for chips or a bathroom break. Prasad’s meals consisted of snacks and dehydrated food that she could make on the go; her drinking water supply was entirely dependent on a desalinator which actually broke, and she had to fix herself with the help of a friend over the phone.

Despite these hardships, Prasad maintained an incredibly positive attitude throughout her journey. She embraced her isolation and every hurdle she had to jump as an opportunity for growth. When orcas swam by her boat, she appreciated their beauty instead of cowering in fear. While she was riddled with nerves when she embarked on this adventure, she ended it stronger both mentally and physically. 

Prasad chose to take on the immense challenge that is the World’s Toughest Row to encourage women everywhere to take risks, especially in the realm of adventure sports where women of colour are underrepresented. She also raised money for two organisations, the Mental Health Foundation based in the UK and the Deenabandhu Trust, a children’s orphanage and non-profit school based in Karnataka. 

Learn more about Ananya Prasad’s incredible journey, which she documented on her social media, here. 

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