Scottish woman just 5ft tall aims to become shortest person to complete 3,000-mile Atlantic row

Milli Abrams is taking part in the ‘World's Toughest Row’ which will take her from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to English Harbour in Antigua.

At just five feet tall, Milli will be the shortest - and also the lightest - person ever to have rowed across an ocean. She will also celebrate her 50th birthday at sea on 31st January 2026, and will be the fourth woman in her 50s to complete the row.

This isn’t the first ocean-going adventure for Milli. In 2010, she set out to circumnavigate the world on a 46-foot catamaran with her husband and seven-year-old son. After crossing from the Mediterranean over the Atlantic, she and her family remained in the British Virgin Islands, where she continued to work until 2017.

Milli Abrams lives in Fife and runs Tribe Yarns. Picture: Jamie Simpson

The Fife knitting and yarn entrepreneur is the only solo female participant from the UK in the race which take place in December - and her training and fund raising for the journey is already underway. Milli will be raising funds for environmental action charity, The 2 Minute Foundation, and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Find out more and make donations at https://www.justonemorerow.org

She has named her ocean boat Knitannia in honour of her passion for the world of yarns and knitting. Milli founded Tribe Yarns, a curator of super high quality yarns from all over the world, in 2018 in Richmond, London. After a prolonged recovery from Covid, she moved the business to the rural setting of Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk where it has become a hub for knitters and other creatives who share Milli’s passion for sustainable and vibrant slow fashion.

Milli said: “I’m rowing the Atlantic because I want to do something hard - just me and the sea. I want to know what I’m capable of. My yarn empire operates out of a newly renovated cowshed on the lovely Balcaskie Estate. I feel absolutely connected with the sea here – it’s within spitting distance for my mandatory swims and salty-strolls.

“I’ll turn 50 somewhere in that big old ocean - I will be the fourth woman ever to have rowed an ocean in her 50s.

Milli Abrams has started training and fundraising (Pic: Jamie Simpson)

I yearn for some time to just stop, reflect, appreciate. I am a fast-paced, thrill-seeking, sleep-is-for-the-dead kind of soul, who usually rests only when I’ve burnt myself out. And I want to celebrate my recovery from long Covid. I'm ready to shatter my mental and physical limits and take on this wild challenge head-on! It’s time to break the rules and defy expectations and I’d hugely welcome your support in this adventure!”

Milli is racing for two charities close to her heart.

“The 2 Minute Foundation is dedicated to environmental action, encouraging people to take two minutes out of their day to make a positive impact, such as picking up litter, fostering sustainability, and creating a cleaner planet,” she said. “I love how the foundation enables people to really incorporate positive environmental, and community-enhancing action in a really easy, and accessible way. I especially love the impact this has on kids.

“CHAS provides unwavering care to children who may die young and their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys. They support families across Scotland in homes, hospices and hospitals, and their ambition is that no-one should face the death of their child alone. Three children die each week in Scotland from an incurable condition, which breaks my heart.”