Parkinson's rower Liz Dennett forced to end transatlantic bid
A woman with Parkinson's disease has abandoned a transatlantic rowing attempt after suffering seasickness and the loss of the vessel's rudder.
Liz Dennett was in a crew of four attempting to row 3,200 miles (5,150km) to Antigua. The 49-year-old, from Liverpool, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2014, was taking part to raise awareness of the neurological condition. "I would never ever have quit if the rudder hadn't broken," she said. Ms Dennett, who has completed several fundraising challenges since the diagnosis five weeks before her 44th birthday, said: "My next [challenge] will be land-based." She was taking part in the Brain Waves challenge, in which the crew set off from Lanzarote. The former air steward, who had been plagued by sea sickness on the voyage, was providing data for Parkinson's research by Oxford Brookes University. The crew was rowing, without specialist back-up for repairs, in the 29ft (8.8m) rowing boat Monkey Fist. They had to ditch the rudder just under two weeks ago after its fixings snapped and there was no way to steer the craft. They were picked up by Portuguese fishing vessel Mar Largo which was sailing home to Cape Verde. The rest of the crew decided to continue the voyage earlier this week to honour Ms Dennett's "bravery". "Despite all of Liz's hard work and preparation, nothing could prepare her for the level of sea sickness she suffered," a Brain Waves spokesman said.