WHEN TEAM Antigua Island Girls reached the finish line of the World’s Toughest Row – Pacific in Kauai, Hawaii in June, theirs was a journey of more than 2,800 nautical miles, starting in Monterey Bay, California and 41 days, 7 hours and 5 minutes at sea.

The finish was testament to their mental and physical strength, willpower, determination, and ability to surmount adversity. In the process, the trio of Christal Clashing, Samara Emmanuel and Kevinia Francis became the first Black female team and the first Caribbean team to row across the Pacific Ocean.

The iconic shot of the team standing on their boat, Dadli Gyal, holding their flares aloft in the shallow waters of the bay, symbolizing their daredevil accomplishment, belied the rigors of the journey.

The final 50 miles to the Kauai shore proved to be an epic battle with the elements, with the team in jeopardy of not finishing the race. Currents, multiple squalls, perennial headwinds and rain combined to push and hold the team north of Hanalei Bay when the entrance was south.

Sometimes, sisterhood and unity can be buzzwords, but I want to say that out there in the most dangerous ocean, my sisters, my teammates, proved this again and again

Christal Clashing

The race organizers informed the team that they would tow the boat into the bay – an option that the team would not consider. The Antiguans dug deeper and deeper still, weary after more than 40 days at sea and what they would soon come to learn was the muscle breakdown of more than 1000% (the normal/acceptable muscle breakdown after activity is 200%). Yet they summoned the strength and rowed three-up for 14 straight hours to finish the race on their own terms.

The race organizers, however, were not always sure about the combination of the conditions and what was left in the team’s tank.

At 11:47 am, the team crossed the finish line, becoming possibly the first Black team ever to have rowed the Pacific. With the addition of Elvira Bell-Bailey, they also hold the distinction of being the first Black team – male or female – and the first Caribbean team to row the Atlantic Ocean when they completed the Talisker Atlantic Whisky Atlantic Challenge on January 28, 2019 in 47 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.  

But back to the beginning. The fleet for the inaugural Pacific row left California on June 12, 2023.

From the jump, debilitating seasickness knocked down Kevinia, the skipper and the physically strongest crew member. It completely sidelined her for the first 72 hours, and it took several days afterwards before she was back to full capacity.

Then, just as the team began gathering momentum, Christal, who is open with her Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) diagnosis, began having episodes that included serious hallucinations, leading to potentially row-ending episodes.

Reduced to two rowers, Kevinia and Samara, the veteran seafarer of the bunch, became mainly concerned with their teammate’s wellbeing and the team’s overall safety.

Kevinia and Samara pushed their bodies and their minds, alternating between two-up and solo shifts for quite some distance until Christal was better.

The row went according to expectations thereafter.

Then came the final 50 miles, which called for everything the team had when they thought they had passed the worst.

“Even with the adverse conditions and the fact we were being pushed north, we were certain that we were not going to do a row of shame. For us, being towed into the harbour was not an option. We told each other that we’d come too far and had already overcome too much to not complete the row on our own. We were not going to accept any rope thrown to us, whether by the Coast Guard or the race organizers,” said Kevinia.

We called on everything within us, and we just rowed and rowed for 14 hours straight

Kevinia Francis

She added: “We always row with music to boost our energy. That day, we turned up the Soca, particularly the ones from home. Christal had a gospel song, Can’t Give Up Now – and we prayed for daylight, which is when the Pacific calms down.

“We called on everything within us, and we just rowed and rowed for 14 hours straight. Even when we couldn’t move south and didn’t know how we were going to beat the weather, we knew we the conditions were not going to beat us.”

Samara said crossing the finish line was epic.  “It was everything you could imagine getting to the end – and as you could see in the arrival videos, even when they told us we were done, the message didn’t reach my brain after 14 hours on shift, so I kept rowing.

“We are grateful to God, to all the people who prayed for us, and all the positive vibes put out into the universe on Sunday and throughout the entire row. Especially, we feel deeply touched by the outpouring of support and blessed to serve as exemplars of getting it done, whatever it is to you,” she said.

Christal, meanwhile, focused on what it took to cross the Pacific. “Sometimes, sisterhood and unity can be buzzwords, but I want to say that out there in the most dangerous ocean, my sisters, my teammates, proved this again and again.

“I am eternally grateful to them, and I am so proud of us. Mother Nature really upped the ante on that last day, because she wanted to strip us down to our core and put our mettle to the test – not just for us, but for the people watching us, to prove that when you think you’ve reached your limit, dig deeper.

“On a personal note, I want to say to people living in the shadows with mental health issues, come into the light and into safe spaces. We can and do contribute to society and must hold our heads high,” Christal said.

Team Antigua Island Girls used the row to raise funds to establish a home for girls in conflict with the law. Underage girls who transgress the laws are sent either to the lone penal facility or to group homes, exacerbating the problems. 

The team is still accepting donations at https://www.gofundme.com/f/team-antigua-island-girlsback-on-the-row-again and Caribbean Union Bank, Acct # 20004631.