Friday 28th March will be written into The Alnwick Garden history books as the day that the incredible Annasley Park completed her 3000 mile solo, and completely unaided row across the Atlantic Ocean, to raise a huge amount of money for our charity.
Annasley was first introduced to us at The Alnwick Garden back in March 2024, exactly a year before she would become only the 9th female in history to complete the incredibly gruelling challenge. The crossing from Gran Canaria to Barbados was completed valiantly by Annasley in nearly 55 days as she battled extreme weather, dangerous animals, a capsize, sleep deprivation and the hardest physical and mental obstacles of her life.
Just as the endeavour served as a metaphor of life’s highs and lows, she invited us and the world to share on her journey of how to embrace the waves of uncharted waters. The challenge was not about getting from A to B. Instead, it is about how the journey starts today, what is experienced along the way and how reflection of each ebb and flow will create change for tomorrow.
Annasley set out with one main goal in mind, alongside raising as much money as she could for four chosen charities, including The Alnwick Garden Trust. “To inspire and educate a generational shift in resilience, one explorer, one documentary, one ocean at a time!”
After a herculean final day on the water, Annasley battled her way into Port St. Charles, and finished her phenomenal solo Atlantic ocean row today.
It was incredibly emotional, it was seriously nail biting, it was absolutely wonderful.
Annasley’s twin sister Georgia took these photos, before she launched, and after she landed – and the difference is fascinating. Whilst her skin is more weather-beaten, and her collar bones are more prominent from the weight loss, the real difference is in those eyes.These eyes have seen things that we simply won’t ever see. And they’re portals to a mind that dug deeper than Annasley ever thought possible. One glance at Annasley, and it’s immediately noticeable. This is a woman that has been pushed to her limits, and then beyond…but she’s survived to tell her story, and she has wisdom beyond her years. What an expedition this has been, what an incredible human this is.
To read more about the challenge and to donate please follow this link: oceansurvivoar.com
There is lots more to come, but for now we’ll leave Annasley to find her land legs, thank her a million times over and mark the 28th March 2025 in our history books as the day Annasley Park took on the Atlantic and won!
