‘Live boldly.’ Former Redfish Lake Lodge employee conquers adventure of a lifetime

It’s difficult to quantify the bravery of 25-year-old Taryn Smith.

On a whim, the former Redfish Lake Lodge employee read a magazine article and decided to sign up for the World’s Toughest Row — a 3,000-mile solo row across the Atlantic Ocean.

Smith recently completed the journey, becoming the first American woman to accomplish the feat as part of the World’s Toughest Row. Forty-three competitors started the race, with 42 finishing. Smith was the 33rd boat to make it to shore among single, two-man and four-man teams.

“I finally rounded the corner into Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua, and it was one of the happiest, most overwhelming moments of my life,” Smith told the Idaho Statesman by phone from her home in Omaha, Nebraska.

“I could see my family and friends up on the cliff looking down on me, and I rode through the finish line, and there were horns and flares, and I just felt immense gratitude for everyone who brought the journey to life.”

Aboard a 24-foot R25 by Rannoch that she christened “Allons-Y,” which means “Let’s go” in French, Smith traveled 2,714 nautical miles over 46 days, 3 hours and 37 minutes. She left San Sebastian de La Gomera in Spain on Dec. 14 and arrived in Antigua on Jan. 29.

Weather delayed her departure by several days, adding to the anticipation.

“I was really nervous, and frankly, I was really scared about starting the row,” Smith said. “Then the day of, we get down there to the docks, everyone lines up. I was the second-to-last boat to leave, and so I watched everyone row off. And then, finally, it was my turn, and they do a countdown. So I’m sitting in my boat. The race organizers are all around me. ‘We’ll see you on the other side.’ I was pushed off, and it was a surreal moment.”

In preparation for the race, Smith had been training with Gus Barton, an ocean-rowing performance coach, since 2023. In the spring of 2024, she traveled to England for navigation, sea survival and weather routing courses with SeaSports Southwest. She then spent six weeks living in Swanage, England, learning how to row a coastal scull on the ocean.

But now it was the real thing.

Smith had originally planned to row in shifts, rowing for two hours and taking a break for two hours throughout the day. But once she got on the ocean, she found it worked better for her to row for 10 to 12 hours a day and then try to rest at night.

All the supplies she would need for the trip were on the boat, and there were two satellite phones in case of an emergency.

Her meals consisted of freeze-dried packs and one snack-pack per day of about 2,000 calories that included granola bars, nuts, candy and crackers.

The Allons-Y, which Smith named in honor of a dance club her grandparents had been a part of, featured a fiberglass hull and self-righting capabilities in case of a capsize.

She was secured to the boat at all times in a climbing harness that was attached to the deck.

The boat — and its captain — put those safety precautions to the test.

“We had some really big weather starting in Week 6, and I remember some of those scary times just very vividly,” Smith said. “There were moments big waves would crash over the boat and it would tip and it would feel like I was about to capsize, but then it would right. So those are scary, but the boat did exactly what it should, and I was safe the whole time.”

While the death-defying moments stay with her, Smith says the solitude and beauty of nature proved even more prevalent.

She saw two whales. One swam under her boat and popped its head up right next to her. Another breached completely vertical out of the water with the pink and orange morning sky behind it.

“It was so gentle,” Smith said of the whale that swam under her boat. “I’m still trying to find the words for how amazing that moment was to have such a large creature close to me and just swimming gracefully.”

Smith said dolphins often appeared at just the right time, providing her with friends on the solitary trip. She even saw a few sharks.

In the leadup to the race, Smith partnered with Girls on the Run, taking the time to speak and inspire young girls to take on adventures of their own.

She’s even more determined to be an active member of her community now that the race is over.

“We’re meant to go out and pursue really big goals and live boldly,” Smith said. “I think that if I can do it, absolutely, anyone can do it. And the most joyful part of this journey for me was getting to partner with Girls on the Run. The world’s a better place when girls do sports.

“It’s amazing that we’re able to expand girls participating in those programs, because it teaches them how to be strong, how to be confident, how to be good teammates.”

While she’s dreaming about her next epic adventure, Smith is focused on small ways she can be more intentional with her neighbors.

“It’s finding ways just to participate in society again, because that’s what I really craved when I was out there and I was all alone,” Smith said. “I know I will find another big adventure, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying just finding small ways to reconnect.”