
Cruising Free – Atlantic Row 2025
On January 23rd 2025, four teams will leave Lanzarote all with the same goal – to safely row 5000km (unsupported) across the open Atlantic ocean in a ‘teeny tiny’ boat!…
One of those teams is Cruising Free, which consists of four incredible women from Pembrokeshire, who we have the honour of sponsoring! The Cruising Free team consists of Polly Zipperlen (aged 50), Sophie Pierce (aged 32), Janine Williams (aged 70) and Miyah Periam (aged 24). They will be undertaking this impressive feat to raise money for their three chosen charities: Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Paul Sartori Hospice at Home and Emily’s Entourage. Not only this, but they are hoping to collect at least two World Records on completion of the row; Sophie will be the first person with Cystic Fibrosis, and Janine will be the oldest woman to row the Atlantic! The team of four are passionate about inspiring women to take part in extreme sports, especially those living with chronic health conditions and disability – definitely an ethos we want to show our support and admiration for!
We will be sharing updates from the Cruising Free team as they embark on their oceanic adventure, however, for now, we wanted to share this lovely piece of writing below from one of the team members, Polly, about how she stumbled upon The Really Wild Emporium on a cold day in December…

Photograph Copyright Cara Gaskell Photography.
‘It appears to me that ‘Community’ is a fundamental drive in human nature. Not simply belonging to community, though this is undoubtedly important, but more so a basic human need of mutual love and support, both for our fellow human & animal beings and planet Earth. Our host-planet, to which we have been badly behaved guests.
It was this essence of community that attracted me to the Really Wild Emporium in St. David’s one cold December day, looking for someone who might know a friend of mine but not knowing where she lives. Having left my mobile phone in the car, I cold-called a couple of café owners; the Really Wild Emporium being one of them. I had always been attracted to the building, an original Edwardian shop front in St.David’s, maintained in its’ original glory by (I was to discover) John and Julia Mansfield.
I often reflect on my chance meeting with this enterprising and energetic couple, whose mission born from a desire to save the building from high-street monotony, has culminated in a ‘foraging Emporium’ of food and skincare. My journey into the world of seaweed produce started in the café, where they offer locally-sourced, ethically produced food and drinks. But to no avail – the incredibly friendly waitress did not know my friend, rather she helpfully signposted me upstairs to the shop. And, oh my goodness, I have lost count of the number of occasions I have marvelled at my good-fortune at this chance-encounter.
The walls are lined with products that are everything skin and haircare products should be. Reusable containers house an array of creams and ointments that both work wonders and use locally sourced, ethical products. Local sugar-beet for microscopic scrubbing and moisturising serum is scented by locally-grown herbs and showcased amid the crowning glory of St. Davids seaweed. Buckthorn, lavender and seaweed are among a myriad of local gems that adorn the Emporium’s shelves.
John and Julia have envisaged, designed, foraged, made and sell products that ooze ‘community’. From preservation of an iconic building to foraging courses, seaweed crafts, making products and using local, truly environmentally-friendly ingredients, the couple have provided a unique uplift to St.Davids. By steering business away from the predictable high-street chains, the Mansfields have provided a legacy for the town’s future – as well as making the most incredible skincare products. Thank you John and Julia, we are proud and grateful to have you as our sponsors as we traverse the Atlantic over the coming months and I for one, will be forever thankful to have stumbled across you, looking for a friend. Instead, finding a community of love and support that radiates through St.Davids and beyond, sending positive environmental ripples that reach far and wide.
I am truly grateful that I did not know where my friend lived that day in December, as The Really Wild Emporium would have remained to me the hidden gem of St.Davids, rather than the jewel in it’s crown.’
Written by Polly
One of the four members of the Cruising Free Atlantic Row 2025 Team
Donate towards the Cruising Free Atlantic Dash fundraiser HERE.
Follow the Cruising Free Instagram account: /cruisingfree2025
Follow the Cruising Free Facebook account HERE.
