Bella Collins from Falmouth this afternoon began the ultimate endurance challenge as she and three other women started their 2,700 mile long row across the Pacific Ocean, from under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to Hawaii as part of the Pacific Ocean Race.


The ladies, known as the Ocean Sheroes who will row two hours on, two hours off 24/7 are aiming to break the current female four world record of 50 days, eight hours and 14 minutes set in 2014. On their journey, the team will experience both physical and mental challenges, including body sores, seasickness, extreme exhaustion, fatigue as well as burning between 6,500-8,500 calories per day.

The team are looking to raise £60,000 for the Seabin Project. The Seabin 6.0 is a revolution in ocean cleaning technology, helping to create cleaner oceans with healthier marine life. The Seabin catches an estimated 1.5 tonnes of marine debris per year (depending on weather and debris volumes) including microplastics down to two mm small, microfibres, fuel and oil.


This won't be the first long distance row that Bella has completed, having rowed across the Atlantic in 2015/16. Despite completing that Atlantic challenge she is willing to push herself again this time. She said: “I am doing this race because I love to have a challenge outside of my day-to-day life, where I’m learning about incredible charities like the Seabin Project and meeting inspiring people from all walks of life. It’s also about the adventure, there aren’t many places left in the world that are unexplored - I feel incredibly privileged to be able to see the marine landscape of the mid-Pacific.”


The Ocean Sheroes have the ‘three P’s philosophy’: positivity, people and planet. The ladies are undertaking this enormous challenge not just for their own benefit but for people of the future as well. In a statement, they said: “This campaign is about so much more than rowing an ocean, we’re here to build a network of change-makers to create a positive impact for people and the planet. Together, as a community, we want to bring about change in daily behaviours and habits, however small, that collectively preserves our home – the world – for future generations.”

Since its launch in 2014, only 22 teams have ever completed the Great Pacific Race, rowing 2,400 nautical miles from San Francisco to Hawaii, with only two four-person all females teams reaching the finish line. To put this in perspective, over 4,000 people have climbed Mt Everest, 1,604 have wintered in the South Pole and 566 people have been to space.


To follow the Ocean Sheroes on their journey, head to @oceansheroes on Instagram and download the live race tracker, Yellow Brick App. The race starts at 13:30 BST on Monday 31 May and will be streamed live on @greatpacific race Instagram