Dr. Karen Weekes arrived in Barbados becoming first Irish Woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Karen was welcomed into a bustling Bridgetown, Barbados, at 6:30pm (Barbados time GMT-4) as crowds gathered to cheer the Irishwoman on as she arrived into the port. 30 of Karen’s friends, family and colleagues flew over to Barbados with Aer Lingus at the weekend to witness and celebrate her achievement. In true Bajan style, a welcome party was organised to celebrate Karen’s arrival to Barbados and her achievement of becoming the first Irish female to row any ocean solo and the 20th female in the world to row any ocean solo. Karen was greeted by Barbados Minister for Sport, Charles Griffith, and Jens Thraenhart, the CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., who then presented her with a gift of Bajan rum to acknowledge her astonishing achievement.

After officially becoming the first Irish woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Dr. Karen Weeke’s said “I’m really not into records but I love that fact that I’m making a little of bit of history.I love the fact that I’m making a bit of history for my family name, which is Weekes. So Irish history and Weekes history is a big thing”.

Commenting on her incredible achieve,ement, Dr. Karen Weekes said “I’ve done a lot of endurance journeys before this, so this [was] really the next logical step for me – a feat of endurance to try and push myself mentally and physically further”.

Karen’s main sponsor Hanley Energy spoke of their joy as she reached the finish line “The Hanley Energy team are thrilled to see Karen reach the finish line of her endeavour and become the first Irish woman to row solo 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. Karen’s endurance, strength and patience throughout her 80 days at sea is truly inspiring.”

We enjoy supporting non-mainstream sports that have an endurance aspect and Karen’s SHECANDO2021 campaign definitely aligned closely with our sponsorship values and principles. We have a history of backing Irish teams and sports people accomplish the impossible and as lead sponsors of the SHECANDO2021 campaign, we’re extremely proud of Karen and her support team on this fantastic achievement.”

Karen has been a lecturer at Munster Technological University since 2004 on the Health and Leisure degree. With a PhD in sport psychology, Karen has worked extensively with both elite and non-elite athletes, specialising within the endurance genre.

Endurance exploits have been a passion for Karen for all her life and has included both water and land-based journeys, including cycling solo across Canada (Vancouver to Halifax) 4003 miles / 6442 kms, circumnavigating Ireland by Kayak (1,000 miles) and climbing Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya in Africa

Karen’s journey across the Atlantic was documented on social media through the #SHECANDO2021 campaign. Through this campaign, Karen aims to encourage females to push themselves outside their comfort zones. Furthermore, she aims to bring awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – specifically gender equality and ocean conservation and sustainability. Full details of the #SHECANDO2021 campaign can be found on Karen’s website: https://shecando2021.org/

Karen has also used the #SHECANDO2021 campaign to highlight two very worthy charities. Her team have set up a GoFundMe page where she is raising funds for the RNLI and Laura Lynn Foundation. Link to the fundraising campaign can he found here.

Karen speaks of her motivations behind starting the #SHECANDO2021 campaign. “When I was cycling across Canada, I was looking up other female solo cyclists who had crossed Canada. I thought I would relate better to seeing how a female coped with it. There really wasn’t many. I think having somebody who has done it before makes it easier for other women so my plan, as part of the SHECANDO campaign, is to provide a platform for other girls and women to do things that push them outside their comfort zone”.

The island of Barbados offers a unique Caribbean experience steeped in rich history and colourful culture and rooted in remarkable landscapes. Barbados is the home of two of the three remaining Jacobean Mansions left in the Western hemisphere, as well as fully functional rum distilleries. In fact, this island is known as the birthplace of rum, commercially producing and bottling the spirit since the 1700s. Each year, Barbados hosts several world-class events including the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival; the annual Barbados Reggae Festival; and the annual Crop Over Festival, where celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton and its very own Rihanna are often spotted.

Accommodations are wide and varied, ranging from picturesque plantation houses and villas to quaint bed and breakfast gems; prestigious international chains; and award-winning five-diamond resorts. In 2018, Barbados’ accommodation sector captured 13 awards in the Top Hotels Overall, Luxury, All-Inclusive, Small, Best Service, Bargain, and Romance categories of the ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards’.

Getting to paradise is a breeze: the Grantley Adams International Airport offers plenty of non-stop and direct services from a growing number of U.S., U.K., Canadian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American gateways, making Barbados the true gateway to the Eastern Caribbean. Visit Barbados and experience why for two years in a row it won the prestigious Star Winter Sun Destination Award at the ‘Travel Bulletin Star Awards’ in 2017 and 2018.

For more information on travel to Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org, follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VisitBarbados, and via Twitter @Barbado