Ready to row it alone

Question: what makes a former investment banker tackle one of the world's toughest nautical challenges by rowing alone across the Atlantic? Answer: it beats becoming a photo­grapher, opening a chain of coffee shops or renovating a houseboat, which is what Roz Savage was considering when she had her light bulb moment. "I was searching for the next big challenge," she says, "and realised I wanted an adventure, not a house."

So the 37-year-old signed up for this month's Atlantic Rowing Race, a 2,550 ­nautical-mile solo slog from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies - a gruelling test of mental and physical strength.