Ordinary women, extraordinary journey: Merched y Môr on rowing the Atlantic

In December, four women - Denise Leonard, Helen Heaton, Heledd Williams, and Liz Collyer - will push off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and row more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Together, as Merched y Môr, Welsh for “women of the sea”, they will make history as the first all-Welsh female team to take on the legendary Atlantic Challenge, known as the “World’s Toughest Row”. We sat down with Denise, Helen and Liz to talk about the challenges ahead and what drives them to take on the ocean.

Could you start by introducing yourselves and explaining how this all came together?

Denise: The idea came to me back in 2020. I spent a year trying to form a crew, but couldn’t quite make it happen. Most people thought it was too ambitious or a bit mad! Then, in early 2022, I decided to try again, and that’s when everything started to fall into place. I’m a lecturer in outdoor adventure education, so the challenge spoke to everything I love: pushing limits, teamwork, and the outdoors.

Liz joined first after a chance meeting. She’s a school business manager at a secondary school in Pembrokeshire, and she immediately loved the idea. Helen came next; we already knew each other from dog walking. She’s an early years coordinator, supporting families with young children across Pembrokeshire, and she’s been a rower for many years, so she didn’t need much convincing. Finally, after a few interviews and a bit of searching, we found Heledd, a social worker with a foster agency, and she completed our team of four. From that moment on, we’ve been training, planning, and dreaming together.

Can you describe what you’re doing?

Denise: We’re rowing 3,000 miles unsupported across the Atlantic, just the four of us, our boat, and the ocean. That means everything we need, from food and water to navigation and safety, is completely down to us. 

Liz: For more than 40 days and nights, we’ll row in pairs through heat, storms, and exhaustion, all to raise money for four charities that mean a great deal to us: the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Action for Children, Popham Kidney Support, and Sea Trust Wales. But it’s about more than fundraising; we want to inspire women and girls to believe that no challenge is too big if you have the courage to start.

How can people support you on your journey?

Helen: There are so many ways people can get involved and support us. Corporate sponsorship makes a huge difference. Once the race is over and the boat is sold, all proceeds will go directly to our four charities. Sharing our story on social media also helps us reach new audiences and keep the momentum going. And we really value community support too, from buying raffle tickets to sending messages on our “sponsored seagulls” that will travel across the Atlantic with us. Every bit of encouragement helps us feel connected to home while we’re out there on the ocean.

Liz: You can also follow our journey in real-time through our YB Tracker. If you’d like to show your support, donations can be made at any point during the row. Our boat also offers space for advertising, which is a great opportunity for businesses to be part of our Atlantic adventure!

How have your past experiences prepared you for such a challenge?

Denise: Each of us brings something different to the crew. My life has always been centred around the outdoors, helping people to step beyond their comfort zones. My current role lecturing in Outdoor Adventure Education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David enables me to really consider the value of a challenge like this and be a role model to my students.

Helen: I have over 25 years of sea rowing experience, and this challenge is my own version of climbing Everest. 

Liz: I come from an outdoor activities and horse riding background, and I’ve always leapt at new challenges. When this came up, I couldn’t say no. It was the right people, the right timing.

Denise: Together, those differences balance us out. What began as one person’s wild idea has become a shared mission, a blend of experience, energy, and determination that has carried us all the way to the start line.

You’ve talked about wanting to inspire other women. Can you tell us a bit more about what that means to you?

Liz: We’ve been visiting schools and scout groups, showing kids, especially girls, that sport doesn’t have to mean something mainstream. It can be something completely different, something wild, like rowing an ocean.

Denise: And we’re very clear: we are ordinary women. We have jobs, children, and even grandchildren. We’re not super athletes. We’re role models for anyone who thinks, “That’s too big for me”.

Helen: There’s a saying: “You can’t be what you can’t see”. By putting ourselves out there, we want people to look at us and think, “If they can do it, maybe I can too”. Less than 500 women have ever rowed an ocean, so to be part of that small group, and the first all-Welsh four to attempt this race, is something we’re incredibly proud of.

What are you most looking forward to once you’re out on the ocean?

Denise: Complete escapism. Switching off ‘normal’ life for 40 days and just focusing on rowing, eating, sleeping, and each other.

Liz: I can’t wait for the wildlife, the stars, the phosphorescence, the lightning storms where there’s no horizon. There’s so much out there we can’t even begin to imagine yet.

Helen: I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I’m not a thrill-seeker, so the big waves genuinely terrify me, but at the same time, I’m excited to face that fear and see what I’m capable of.

What have been the biggest challenges in preparing, and how did you overcome them?

Denise: Definitely fundraising. Boats are expensive, and sponsors want to see commitment before investing. It was a real chicken-and-egg situation. Then there’s the challenge of balancing everything with real life. After three and a half years of training and planning, there’ve been times we’ve all wondered if we could keep going. But we always come back to why we’re doing this, and that’s what keeps us pushing forward.

Liz: Managing our own expectations has probably been the hardest part. Asking for money isn’t easy, especially right now, but we’ve learned to be bold and just go for it. We were lucky to have early support to buy our boat, which made a huge difference.

Follow Merched Y Môr’s journey across the Atlantic this December >>