25-Year-Old Quits Job to Row Atlantic Solo; Crossing Now Expected Near 50 Days

According to People, 25-year-old Taryn Smith of Omaha quit her human resources job and set sail on Dec. 14, 2025, to row solo across the Atlantic, a crossing initially expected to take 60 to 85 days.

Smith left her HR role and yoga teaching, quitting her job in June to train full-time and spending the next two years preparing, including nearly seven weeks living aboard her boat in England. On the water she rows roughly 10 to 12 hours a day, mostly during daylight, and spends the rest of her time maintaining the boat, checking her position, preparing meals and resting.

Physically the work came in waves — "her knees, then her core, then her lower back" flared up before she adjusted; "My muscles have felt really strong throughout the journey," she says. Mentally, solitude has been the greater test and the greater reward: "There have been some really difficult moments," she says, "but I’ve also felt so much peace and happiness being out here by myself." Her mother posts videos for her on Instagram; Smith has amassed more than 600,000 followers and says she hasn’t logged on herself. Favorable conditions have shortened the timeline — "It’s looking like it’s going to be closer to 50 days," she says — and when she imagines returning to land she expects her legs will give out and she will "just want to hug my parents."