Adventurous Dartmouth youngster, Flo Cooper, has been selected to represent team GB in an exciting gig rowing competition with a difference in Denmark next summer.

Flo, 17, entered the Atlantic Challenge International 2026 on the spur of the moment after Facebook flagged up the event, and was surprised – and thrilled - to gain a coveted place in the competition.

Held every two years, the Atlantic Challenge invites mixed young crews to battle it out in a series of water-borne events including a two-mile long rowing race, set course sailing races, and the supreme challenge of racing with oars and under sail.

Flo and her team will go head-to-head with other young crews from Denmark, Belgium, the Basque Country, France, Ireland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Canada and the USA in a week-long series of traditional rowing and sailing races taking place in Roskilde in July.

Each crew will battle it out aboard a Bantry Bay gig – a replica of an 18th century captain’s gig.

In July, Flo and her crew travelled to the Isle of Portland for a week-long training course to familiarise themselves with team GB’s Bantry Bay gig Intégrité.

Flo has won heaps of medals since joining Dart Gig Club six years ago, including gold in the 2024 U16 Girls International Gig Championships. But handling a three masted lug rig Bantry Bay gig as part of a 13-strong crew is a whole different ball game.

Elegant and fast, in the right conditions Bantry Bay gigs can reach six knots under oars and up to 10 knots under sail. Their long keels do not allow them to turn easily and tacking requires the whole crew working in unison.

Crews are always busy and each youngster on board has an important role, whether they are coxswain, bow watch, mast captain, or handling the sheets, yards, halyards or oars.

Flo said: “There are lots of different jobs to do in the boat and we had a go at all of them. It’s a lot of hard work especially when you are trying to tack because the sails are so massive it’s hard to move around the boat, but we manage and it feels great when you are out there doing it.”

Flo, who is studying Uniformed Public Services at South Devon College and hopes to one-day join the police force, must raise £2,500 to take part in the contest. She has launched a GoFund me page and is also planning a series of sponsored challenges to help boost the coffers.

“It’s costing a fortune, but it’ll be worth it,” she said. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve done quite a lot of rowing competitions with Dart Gig Club and I love them – I love the adrenalin – so I’m quite excited about the Atlantic Challenge.

“It is a big commitment, but I’m 100 per cent up for it.”

If you would like to sponsor Flo, visit her GoFund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/flo-represent-gb-at-the-atlantic-challenge-2026