EXCLUSIVE: Taryn Smith is crossing the Atlantic Ocean COMPLETELY ALONE — and the ONE thing she calls “especially freeing” has everyone stunned!

On Dec. 14, 2025, Taryn Smith embarked on a journey to row across the Atlantic alone

Taryn Smith setting sail.Credit :  The World’s Toughest Row

NEED TO KNOW

On Dec. 14, 2025, Taryn Smith embarked on a journey to row across the Atlantic alone
Since then, her days have followed a grueling but structured rhythm
She rows roughly 10 to 12 hours a day, mostly during daylight and tries to sleep six to seven hours each night.

Thirty days into her solo Atlantic crossing, Taryn Smith realized the hardest part wasn’t the ocean — it was the loneliness.

“That was when I realized… I really wanted some company,” the 25-year-old Omaha, Neb., native tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Smith set sail on Dec. 14, 2025, embarking on a journey to row across the Atlantic alone. Since then, her days have followed a grueling but structured rhythm. She rows roughly 10 to 12 hours a day, mostly during daylight and tries to sleep six to seven hours each night.

But rowing is only one part of life at sea.

“I wake up a couple of hours before sunrise, try to get some time on the oars, then have breakfast — a granola bar or oat bar — and keep rowing until about noon,” she says.

Taryn Smith rowing. The World’s Toughest Row

At midday, she climbs into her cabin for a routine check: noting her latitude and longitude, verifying battery levels, inspecting the auto helm and tidying the space before heading back to the deck.

Even in the middle of the ocean, small tasks keep her constantly occupied. “I cook, clean, check in with the safety team and take care of myself,” she says. “There’s stuff to do all of the time.”

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Though the loneliness was something that hit her within the first 30 days of the trip, she also noted that there were some aspects of being out in the Atlantic Ocean alone that surprised her.

“I don’t think about how I look or how I’m perceived. That’s been especially freeing as a woman,” she shares. “We spend so much time worrying about how we’re seen in the world, and now there’s just so much more space in my head.”

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Nutrition is simple but vital. Smith subsists on freeze-dried backpacking meals and snacks, consuming roughly 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day from granola bars, nuts and candy.

Her sleeping quarters are modest but functional.

“I sleep in the stern cabin, which has all my technology — chart plotter, VHF radio, auto helm. It’s a pretty big cabin, so I can sit up comfortably,” she explains.

Her boat is stocked for every contingency. With her, she has a toolkit, life raft, a full medical kit, foul weather gear, clothes, sunscreen, extra food, a manual water maker, spare chargers, a spare phone, Starlink and a BGA device for Wi-Fi.

She also has a grab bag with extra rations, antibiotics and her passport in case she has to evacuate. For rough weather, she carries both a traditional anchor and a para-anchor, an underwater parachute that keeps the boat from drifting in headwinds.

“The first day my knees really hurt, then my core, abs and low back. I developed hives three or four weeks in, which made it hard to sleep,” Smith says. “My muscles have felt strong throughout, but I’ve lost a lot of calf strength since I barely walk. My arms and back are strong now, and my blisters from training are gone, replaced with calluses.”

Mentally, she relies on deliberate self-talk and small “resets” to stay focused. “When negative thoughts come up, I kind of do a factory reset,” she says. “I stop rowing, do something different, or listen to music.”

Even in her most vulnerable moments, quitting has never crossed her mind. “Quitting is complicated and expensive. It would mean rerouting a ship to come get me, and I wouldn’t even be heading home,” she explains.

Taryn Smith setting sail. The World’s Toughest Row

Staying connected to home has been essential. “Honestly, a lot of the time it’s calling my mom and dad — they’ve been really supportive. I don’t know if I could have done this without being able to call land,” she admits.

Documenting her journey has also helped her cope. Her mother posts updates on Instagram, keeping Smith connected and grounded. “I don’t feel very alone,” she says. “I feel very, very looked after.”

And when she finally steps on solid ground? “I think first my legs will give out,” she says. “And then I just want to run up to my parents and give them the biggest hug.”