London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Nov 17, 2025

Thirsk teacher, 21, becomes youngest solo female to row Atlantic

Thirsk teacher, 21, becomes youngest solo female to row Atlantic

A 21-year-old swimming teacher has become the youngest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Jasmine Harrison, from Thirsk in North Yorkshire, set off on her 3,000-mile (4,828km) journey from La Gomera in the Canary Islands in December.

She docked in Antigua earlier, completing the journey in 70 days, three hours and 48 minutes.

After arriving in the Caribbean she said the experience had been "amazing" and "everything I wanted it to be".

Jasmine Harrison arrived in Antigua 70 days, three hours and 48 minutes after leaving the Canary Islands
The 21-year-old capsized two days before finishing the race, injuring her elbow in the process
Ms Harrison, a part-time swimming teacher and bartender, decided to sign up for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge three years ago after watching the finale of the 2017 event.

Asked about her epic challenge, she said it had been a mix of "good and bad memories", but said she had relished the chance to escape from day-to-day life.

"There's nothing like it, actually getting away from everything - social media, bad news, from literally everything," she said.

Ms Harrison's crossing was not without difficulty and she capsized just two days before crossing the finishing line, injuring her elbow in the process.

During the crossing, Ms Harrison would row for two hours and sleep for two hours on rotation.

Despite being cut off from the world, she was still able to speak to her mother every day via satellite phone.

Asked what she was most looking forward to after stepping on to dry land, she replied: "Food, definitely food."

Ms Harrison would row for two hours and sleep for two hours on rotation

As well as rowing into the record books, Ms Harrison has also raised more than £10,000 for charity.

The previous youngest female solo ocean rower was 22-year-old Katie Spotz from the USA who rowed the Atlantic east-to-west between 3 January and 14 March 2010.

The youngest person to have made the crossing solo is student Lukas Haitzmann, who completed it in 2019 at the age of 18.



Jasmine Harrison becomes the youngest solo female to cross the Atlantic.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
×