Posted: Sep 07, 2009 07:02 am EST
(TheOceans.net) Recently Elin rowed as a team of four girls across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius. She, Sarah Duff, Fiona Waller and Jo Jackson became the first female team to do so.

Elin is an all-rounder; she captained the Welsh women’s rugby team on international level, cycled long distances, ran marathons and she rowed the oceans.

She talked to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer about her recent row; about the team, about happened at the finish line, good and bad moments and more.

ExplorersWeb: How did you four girls know each other? Have you rowed together before?

Elin: I joined the crew very late in the day! Sarah and Fiona had rowed across the Atlantic the same year as I did, and we’d met each other briefly.

When they were one down 3 months before the start they phoned me to offer a place in the team! It was an offer I just couldn’t say no to! I’d only met Jo once when I agreed to join them!

ExplorersWeb: You rowed most of the time in second position and at one stage you were leading. What contributed to you girls showing the guys how it is done?

Elin: Three of us had rowed the Atlantic before. That gave us a combined experience of 225 days ocean rowing. Our previous experience combined with female grit and determination made us a strong team!

ExplorersWeb: What happened at the finish in Mauritius? One of your teammates got injured just before the finish. How did that affect you?

Elin: We had a horrendous sea state as we approached Mauritius. We were fighting against 35k winds blowing us north and completely off course. Massive waves kept breaking over us, and sadly Sarah was knocked off her seat and thrown against the side of the boat. She bruised her back and ribs badly, and couldn’t row.

So we were one angel down leaving the rest of us rowing 2 hours on 1 hour off during the day. We were all physically pretty battered by then, and it was a tough few days.

We were devastated not to be able to row into Port Louis as we had hoped, but had a sheer sense of relief when we crossed the longitude line to officially take us to the record books as the first all female crew to ever row across the Indian Ocean!

ExplorersWeb: Back to the row. What was a typical daily routine?

Elin: We had a great rota, which I think worked very well for us. From 12:00 till 18:00 we rowed/rested 90 minutes at a time. From 18:00-22:00 we swapped to 2 hours rowing/resting.

From 22:00-06:00 we did 4 hour shifts which were occasionally hell on earth to row for so long, but definitely worthwhile when getting your 4 hour rest. From 06:00-12:00 we rowed 2 hour shifts again.

Every 5 days we swapped rowing partners, and every 15 days we swapped from stern to bow cabin, which kept a great team dynamic on board.

ExplorersWeb: What were scary moments?

Elin: The first 3 days were pretty tough. Our dagger board was snapped off by a wave, an oar was smashed and the bracket of our auto helm ripped off. But the last 5 days fighting to reach Mauritius was by far the worst. The swell was massive and we were in 30-35k winds all the time. Land just couldn’t come soon enough!

ExplorersWeb: Was there a time when you thought you would not make it to Mauritius?

Elin: The last 24-48 hours looked like we might loose it all!

ExplorersWeb: What was the best moment?

Elin: On the 6th of June we were in the most beautiful, tranquil, serene sea state ever and so we all decided to jump in the sea and go for a swim! It was amazing, with miles and miles of a crystal clear blue sea all around us. It was a welcome relief from the rowing and a great boost to morale!

ExplorersWeb: What kept you going in tough times and in times when you were taken backwards by the currents?

Elin: Laughter! The only other option was to cry and we didn’t want to do that now did we! It is unbelievable how little things become hilarious while out there!

ExplorersWeb: What made you a successful team?

Elin: We had a brilliant sense of team spirit and unfaltering optimism. The four of us were also completely focused on the same goal!

ExplorersWeb: How did you protect you skin against the sun?

Elin: We’d been warned about the sun, but in reality we went from one storm to another. During 78 days out there we probably only had 6 or 7 hot days where high factor sun cream and sun hats did the trick!

ExplorersWeb: What clothes did you wear?

Elin: None! Ocean rowers tend to be naked most of the time – to prevent salt encrusted clothes from chaffing the skin! Because we had so much rain, squalls, storms and chilly southerly winds however we did wear a lot of our lightweight musto jackets!

ExplorersWeb: What did you learn from this row? What advice can you give other rowers?

Elin: One 4 hour sleep makes a massive difference! We certainly didn’t suffer from the sleep deprivation that had haunted us on the Atlantic.

ExplorersWeb: Are the four of you planning to do something else together?

Elin: Nothing is fixed … as of yet …

ExplorersWeb: Your future plans?

Elin: I’m currently dreaming of something “big”!! Hopefully it will involve skiing, sailing and cycling!

ExplorersWeb: Anything else?

Elin: Does anyone know where my Sugar Daddy is so that I can fund my dreams into reality?! ;-))

Elin Haf Davies, born in 1976 in Wales, resides in London, but sees herself as 'Welsh through and through!“ She is a children’s nurse by profession, having specialised in research, now taking time out to write her PhD thesis.

Elin’s sport background varies over a wide spectrum. She played in 13 Welsh A International rugby caps, cycled with her bike from Paris to London, ran the Snowdonia, London and Loch Ness marathons and was a competitor in the Sahara race (6 marathons in 6 days), "but passed out on the 4th!!“ she added, and rowed across the Atlantic as a pair in 77 days.

Elin is the youngest of 4 children, single and likes watching rugby. While on the rowboat to Mauritius she enjoyed the book 'Pillars of the Earth', "which was a brilliant read,“ she said. Elin was also inspired by Dominic Faulkner’s book out there on the ocean, about his cycle ride to and eventually climb up Everest. Her favourite food is definitely chocolate. And as for music, Elin said she has the most random taste ever known.

The first female team to row across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius is Sarah Duff (26), Fiona Waller (34), Jo Jackson (28) and Elin Haf Davis (32) from the UK. The ‘Ocean Angels’ left Geraldton, Western Australia on 19 April 2009 and rowed 3,132 nm to Mauritius. They finished on 6 July 2009, spending 78 days, 15 hours and 54 minutes at sea.

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