This UAE expat wants to make history as first woman to row across Arctic ocean

Orlagh Dempsey will be part of a three-member team and will travel over 1,500km in an 8-metre boat with no engine, no motor, or sails

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Tue 11 Jun 2024, 6:01 PM

Last updated: Tue 11 Jun 2024, 8:55 PM

A UAE resident is attempting to be the first woman ever to to row the Arctic Ocean. Orlagh Dempsey will be part of a three-member team from the UAE who will set off from Tromsø, Norway in late July. They will travel over 1,500km in an 8-metre boat with no engine, no motor, or sails, completely unassisted and unsupported — in an attempt to set three world records.

Apart from setting world records, the team of adventurers that also includes Toby Gregory and Andrew Savill, will use specialist equipment on the boat to progress scientific understanding in a remote and fragile part of the planet and champion gender equality.

“The best part of being the first one to do something is that you will never be the last one,” said Orlagh, speaking to Khaleej Times. “As the first woman to row open Arctic waters, I hope to inspire others to break barriers and pursue their dreams.”

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Orlagh Dempsey.

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This isn’t the first time that the Irish elite endurance athlete is attempting to set a world record. In 2021, she was part of a female trio that set the Guinness World Record for becoming the fastest all-women team to row the Pacific Ocean in 60 days.

The row is the brain child of Toby, who previously organised the Row for Cop28 movement. He said he wants to create an impact on the younger generation. “I do it for the impact it creates and the feedback we get,” he said. “When I first started, I gave a talk to 20 students. Now, we are speaking to five schools a week. The impact of this is tremendous.”

Toby Gregory.

Preparation

Orlagh has been spending more than two hours in the gym every day to prepare for the grueling journey. “However, the biggest challenge in a row like this is mental,” she said. “Spending so many days at sea with just your fellow rowers can be quite daunting.”

It was by sheer chance that Orlagh got into ocean rowing. “When I first moved to the UAE in 2017, I connected with a friend in Ras Al Khaimah,” she said. “She was into endurance sports and when she moved home during Covid, she decided to row across the Pacific with two other people. When one of them dropped out, she asked me if I would be interested and I agreed. I had never rowed before that.”

Andrew Savill.

The journey

Their specially designed vessel, Ocean Guardian, is fully reliant on the crew's physical power to function. It is equipped with solar panels for essential navigation and a desalination machine which supplies the crew with the water they need to drink.

The team will row non-stop from Tromsø, Norway, to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, following a rigorous schedule of two hours on, two hours off, for 20-25 days. Their journey will traverse the tumultuous 'Devil's Dancefloor' and the remote Arctic ice shelf, demanding unparalleled endurance and teamwork.

The Arctic Ocean, a vital yet fragile ecosystem, offers unique opportunities to study climate dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. The team’s voyage will advance scientific understanding and drive sustainable solutions in one of the world's most remote and fragile eco-systems.

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