just a few weeks before her big adventure, shirley thompson needs all the training she can get.boat. sea dog, she ain't. so why on earth is this 60—year—old woman about to take on 3000 miles of unforgiving ocean? i'm 60 years old and i'm going for two records. one is the oldest woman ever to row any ocean solo and also the first irishwoman. you're not of water woman, though, i mean, this is what's so extraordinary, this is not your natural medium at all? no, hate getting my hair wet and i didn't swim up until about six weeks ago. but i wanted a challenge that was really, really tough for me. and so this is, it doesn't get any tougher than this. at sea, she'll need to get out of the boat to clean the hull, for example. for a new swimmer, that will be a challenge. what you're seeing here, amazingly, is the first time that shirley has ever been out of her depth. 0verseeing is coach niall bates. himself, a transatlantic veteran. he says that for all her inexperience, she's got what it takes. she's doing things in a very short space of time in terms of the learning curve. can she do

at sea, it is a new world. —— shirley thompson. here is the rice -- risk shirley thompson.fears a trained to put the back of my mind and i will deal with everything. i hope i have a strategy for things and i would deal with it. —— whales. but the fear is almost pa rt —— whales. but the fear is almost part of the pleasure. i'm looking forward to enjoying all the good bits and all the other bits because it's part of the journey shirley thompson, a landlubber who has chosen a high c for the challenge of a lifetime. -- mike richards. -- high sea. i suspect there are easier ways to spend your 60th year. the fact she couldn't really swim, as well. going from doing lengths of the local ba'athist to taking on a huge rowing challenge, why waste time, i guess —— local baths. here is darren bett with a look at this morning's weather. the clocks have changed, you were using the word snow yesterday, i hate to use the word winter, but we are heading in this direction. hate to use the word winter, but we are heading in this directionm hate to use the word winter, but we are heading in thi

just a few weeks before her big adventure, shirley thompson needs all the training she can get.ean? i'm 60 years old and i'm going for two records. one is the oldest woman ever to row any ocean solo and also the first irishwoman. you're not of water woman, though, i mean, this is what's so extraordinary, this is not your natural medium at all? no, hate getting my hair wet and i didn't swim up until about six weeks ago. but i wanted a challenge that was really, really tough for me. and so this is, it doesn't get any tougher than this. at sea, she'll need to get out of the boat to clean the hull, for example. for a new swimmer, that will be a challenge. what you're seeing here, amazingly, is the first time that shirley has ever been out of her depth. 0verseeing is coach niall bates. himself, a transatlantic veteran. he says that for all her inexperience, she's got what it takes. she's doing things in a very short space of time in terms of the learning curve. can she do it? absolutely. that's the way she is, she will do this, she will be ready. there is no knocking herfrom that and