No, there is no accompanying boat in that sense. From the moment we leave La Gomera, we are completely on our own.

It is an organised race that we are taking part in and there is a so-called support yacht that travels with the fleet and is ready for non-urgent emergencies. This means, for example, that replacement food or repair parts can be provided there. However, as soon as we need these, we are disqualified. In addition, the distance on the Atlantic is so great that we will probably not see anyone after just one day. No other participants and not even the support yacht.

No, we won't. Everything we need is already on board. We have food for up to 60 days and a water filter that enables us to turn the seawater into drinkable water. If this is completely defective, we also have a hand-operated replacement filter with us.

As we are crossing the Atlantic in an international sea area, in the event of an emergency, sea rescue will come into play. This means that we inform the race organisers and make an emergency call. Ships in our vicinity will then come to our position and provide assistance. This could be a large cargo ship.

The duration of our crossing is of course dependent on more factors than our sheer rowing power. We can't possibly say now how the wind and waves will affect our progress. Of course, we are planning our route very intensively and will also keep an eye on the weather en route in order to adjust our course. We have food with us for a total of 60 days, but even in a team of four that is the maximum we are planning with. On average, women-only teams in the same constellation spend between 40-50 days travelling.

Admittedly, we are a little crazy. Maybe, because it depends on your perspective. We were inspired by other women who had undertaken the same project. We weren't just fascinated by the prospect of covering the enormous distance across the Atlantic on our own muscle power.

Having such a strong goal in mind is extremely motivating. There's nothing quite like setting yourself an extraordinary goal and experiencing it together with other great people. For us, this adventure doesn't just mean physical exertion, but also a unique experience that we couldn't find anywhere else. And then there was simply no reason for us not to do it!