Poole woman to row 3,000 miles across Atlantic for hospice

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A WOMAN is preparing to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a bid to break a world record and raise thousands for a hospice charity. 

Jenna Vincent, 25 and from Poole, will take on the journey as part of the Just Row With It team in the 2026 World’s Toughest Row.

Jenna Vincent (Image: Forest Holme Hospice Charity)

The route begins in La Gomera in the Canary Islands and finishes in Antigua.

Jenna said: "Forest Holme has been a huge part of my life for many years, and supporting them is incredibly personal to me.

"When I was 12, my godmother Wendy spent quite a bit of time at Forest Holme while battling terminal lung cancer.

"My brother and I were treated like family there.

"They helped make an awful, confusing experience a little less frightening and traumatic for us as children."

She aims to raise £25,000 for Forest Holme Hospice Charity in memory of her godmother and grandmother, both of whom were cared for at the hospice.

Olivia Stocks, Megan Neely and Jenna Vincent (Image: Forest Holme Hospice Charity)

Jenna, Liv and Meg, a team with an average age of 24, hopes to become the youngest all-female trio to complete the Atlantic crossing.

They expect to spend up to 60 days at sea, facing towering waves, sleep deprivation, and extreme weather.

Although the women were strangers before joining the challenge, they have since bonded through months of intensive training.

Jenna, who works in yacht brokerage and grew up sailing and swimming in Poole, spotted an online advert while travelling in Australia from two women seeking a third teammate.

Despite having no prior rowing experience, she applied and met her teammates and their boat nearly a year later.

Since then, the team has committed to a demanding training schedule, including six gym sessions each week and long rowing stints, with their longest continuous row lasting 42 hours.

Poole woman takes on 3,000-mile Atlantic rowing challenge (Image: Forest Holme Hospice Charity)

Jenna has previously cycled the length of the UK to raise funds for Forest Holme Hospice. 

Claire Cooper from Forest Holme Hospice Charity said: "What Jenna and her teammates are preparing to undertake is truly extraordinary, and we're incredibly grateful that she has chosen to support Forest Holme once again.

"It's particularly moving to know that the care Jenna's family received has inspired her to take on such an incredible challenge.

"Her determination to give something back will help us continue providing specialist care and support to local patients and their families during some of life's most difficult moments."

The team has set a combined fundraising target of £75,000, with each member supporting a charity close to their heart.

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