Fund raising row

Today, four remarkable women will land at Heathrow Airport.  The Coxless Crew are a group of six women who have rowed a boat called Doris 9600 miles from San Francisco to Cairns.  Laura Penhaul, Natalia Cohen and Emma Mitchell rowed the whole distance and 3 others rowed different legs.  They have received a fair amount of coverage in the British press and have been described by the Guardian as a "British female rowing crew".

However, it is not quite accurate.  Lizanne van Vuuren is an osteopath from Cape Town.  She rowed for 97 days and completed the 2nd leg of the journey.  The team blogged about their experiences. In her blog,  Lizanne reflected on the importance of a team:

"Our team worked well because we are all different and we lived by our team values; Strength, Perseverance, Integrity, Resilience, Inspiration and Trust. We supported each other, encouraged and listened. "



Apart from becoming the first crew of four to cross the Pacific Ocean, they were raising funds for two charities: "Walking with the Wounded" and "Breast Cancer Care".  To quote Lizanne:

"In my line of work I have also become intensely aware how privileged most of us are to have a fully functioning body. The charities we are raising money for will be in support of all the ladies whose lives changed overnight, and hopefully will act as a springboard to allow them to gain their independence again."

Any one who has had the diagnosis of breast cancer will be able to relate with what she is saying.

Well done to all the crew but especially to Lizanne who puts Cape Town on the map!