Leanne and Sabrina's Story
She rOars and their Atlantic Ocean dream
She rOars is a dynamic rowing duo who have set their sights on rowing the Atlantic Ocean in 2023.
Currently residing in Scotland, Leanne Maiden grew up in South Africa, moving to the UK in 2005, and Sabrina Faith was born and raised in Canada before packing her bags for Scotland in 1999. These are not small moves, and we hope that they have had many beautiful moments here so far – and many more to come!
Both women consider sport and adventure to have been an integral part of their lives and childhood for as long as they can remember, and it is this empowering commonality that brought the two together to make the decision to prepare for – what might seem slightly crazy to some – the rowing race of a lifetime.
The rowing race in question is the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which is widely considered to be the World’s Toughest Row. It is an ocean rowing race covering 3000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua. The annual race begins in early December, with up to 30 teams from around the world competing.
‘We will row 2 hours on, 2 hours off for the duration of the race (approximately 50-60 days), facing sleep deprivation, salt sores, physical extremes, and the psychological challenges of the open ocean!’
‘This last year we have been learning how to row, the first step to achieving our arrival in Antigua. Our adventure is to inspire girls and women everywhere to believe that anything is possible, you just need to have the confidence to take that first step towards your dreams and live your adventure.’
We can only imagine the electric atmosphere of this race and the tole it takes on the mind and body; we wish them the best experience possible and – most of all – a safe crossing!
Zaini hats have been an integral brand choice for She rOars; Sabrina has been wearing and collecting them since 2015! Her boyfriend thinks it’s a bit of an obsession, but we wholeheartedly support it…
When asked why they chose Zaini, Leanne and Sabrina said:
‘Because we love a product that is made in Scotland. And we love to support women in business!’
Unsurprisingly, their favourite beanie is their own custom-designed beanie for our She rOars Adventure. Zaini feels very special to have the support of such wonderful, adventurous women, and we’d be proud to know that our hats had accompanied them on their journey.
Want to support them in their adventure? Of course you do! Here is a list of the charities they are supporting through their Atlantic crossing:
The Polar Academy (www.thepolaracademy.org),
Women’s Fund for Scotland (www.womensfundscotland.org)
The Mabel Foundation (www.themabelfoundation.com)