TASMANIAN OCEAN ROWER MARGARET BOWLING IS GIVING A TALK ABOUT ATTEMPTING TO ROW HOME

Margaret has rowed the Atlantic Ocean twice. She is one of only three Australians to have ever rowed an ocean and the only Australian woman to have achieved this incredible feat. Her latest adventure was an attempt to row from Wilsons Promontory to Hobart, an attempt that was cut short by extreme conditions in the Bass Strait. She will be speaking about her continuing journey to row home.

DOORS OPEN 7PM, TALK BEGINS AT 7.30PM

THE STORY

In 2007/2008 Margaret and her friend Cath took part in the Atlantic rowing race. Over the course of the 73-day voyage their watermaker broke beyond repair and they had to deal with severe water rationing, their rudder broke more than 19 times, they almost capsized, and they suffered a near miss with a tanker. Against all the odds they finally made it to Antigua in one piece, beating the other female pairs in the race.

In 2011, with just a weeks notice, Margaret joined a second Atlantic crossing after a crew member was injured at the last minute. She ended up taking the role of second in command, helping the skipper lead 16 men and women from all over the world onboard a boat like no other. Along the way they managed to beach the boat on the edge of the Sahara, were forced to live off protein bars when all of their food ran out and had to deal with a number of serious injuries.

In late January 2012 Margaret and her crew left Walkerville South bound for Hobart onboard their 24-ft ocean rowing boat. 3 days in they encountered typically treacherous Bass Strait storm conditions which rolled the boat and eventually led to the crew being picked up by the Water Police. Margaret hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons and her dream to row home to Hobart came to a premature and frustrating end.