Debra Searle
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Website | www |
Debra Louise Searle (née Newbury, later Veal) is a British adventurer. Searle rowed across the Atlantic in 2002 alone after her then husband and rowing partner, Andrew Veal, became overwhelmed by the ocean.
Early life and education
Searle has an identical twin sister named Hayley Barnard.[1]
Career
Atlantic Rowing Race
Searle and her then husband Andrew Veal attempted to row across the Atlantic in the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Race during 2001–2002. Her husband was forced to retire from the race after eight days[2] after becoming mentally overwhelmed by the ocean and had to return to land. She continued alone, arriving in Barbados after 111 days at sea.[3][4] She published a book titled Rowing it Alone in September 2002.[5] Ben Fogle, the adventurer and TV presenter who rowed the Atlantic with James Cracknell in 2005 claimed to have been inspired by Searle's crossing in his book The Crossing, written with James Cracknell.[6]
Other
In 2003, she was the subject of an episode of the BBC documentary series Extreme Lives.[7] In 2007, she captained a Dragon Boat across the English Channel.[8]
Personal life
Searle was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2002 Birthday Honours.[9] She was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in the 2014 New Year Honours for her work for the Royal Family and as a trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.[10]
References
- ^ "Relative values: Debra Veal and Hayley Barnard". The Sunday Times. London. 13 April 2003. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Move over, darling". The Guardian. 21 February 2002.
- ^ "The Interview: Debra Veal". The Independent. 7 April 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Rower Completes Atlantic Crossing". BBC News. 26 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Gornall, Jonathan (12 September 2002). "Wife on the ocean wave". The Times. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ James Cracknell; Ben Fogle (2006). The Crossing. Atlantic. p. 4. ISBN 1-84354-511-X.
- ^ "Yukon Quest". Extreme Lives. 13 May 2003. BBC One. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Sea triggers a wave of emotions". BBC News. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ "GB curlers honoured". BBC Sport. 26 November 2002. Retrieved 26 November 2002.
- ^ "No. 60728". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2013. p. 4.