Atlantic Rowing Race 2007

The team: Cath Allaway and Margaret Bowling

Cath Margaret

Cath was born on the 31st March 1973. She is a qualified veterinary nurse currently working at Heathrow Airport as a pet travel consultant (otherwise known as 'global furball logistics'). Cath chose not to row at University (she valued her mornings too much), instead she continued fencing, until her coach pointed out that she might want to try another sport, ANY other sport!

After a brief spell at Burway Rowing Club, she moved to Weybridge RC and competed as part of their successful womens squad. Cath was part of the support crew for a previous team and was always quietly envious of the challenge.

"Over a thousand people have climbed Mount Everest, but less than 200 people have rowed the Atlantic Ocean. Fewer than 30 of these have been woman. I need to be one of those women."

Margaret was born on 17th November 1979. She grew up in Tasmania and moved to London in 2001. She works in TV production and is an aspiring documentary film maker. She also dedicates much of her spare time to the organisation ‘World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms’.

Margaret rowed for one season at Friends School in Hobart during her first year of high school and also attempted to take it up again during her final year. Neither attempt was very successful. Hoping to get it right the 3rd time around, in 2005 she joined Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club. But it wasn’t until the beginning of 2006, when she made the decision to row an ocean, that she really started to take her rowing seriously.

Margaret was always at her happiest when in, on, or near the water. Aged 4 she would have to be dragged shivering and blue out of the icy beach break. Aged 5 she caught her first fish (a shark almost as big as her). Aged 11 she leapt off a cliff into a waterhole - her mother thought she had died when she didn’t resurface for some time... Aged 18 she learnt to bodyboard and would paddle out to treacherous breaks with a group of 3 much more experienced surfer boys, only to get pummelled. Margaret has always wanted to test the limits of her adventurous spirit, and what better way to do it than on the biggest body of water in the world.