Riding the waves: Tanjina’s journey with Oar and Explore

03/03/2025

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is about taking action- to break barriers and create a fairer world for everyone. It’s a day to celebrate strength, resilience, and the push for equality. It’s about ensuring that all women, no matter their background or challenges have the opportunities they need to thrive. Tanjina’s journey with Oar and Explore, our women’s only boat club in east London, is a powerful example of this.

Get on board with Oar and Explore

Nestled along east London’s Limehouse Cut canal, Oar and Explore boat club helps women to become more comfortable in and around open water. It encourages women (especially those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds) to try paddle sports, gain confidence in the water, and connect with their community.

To make it accessible and help all women feel welcome on the water, the sessions are free with changing rooms provided and timings that fit around school hours. Participants can wear cultural clothing and, importantly, they don’t need to be able to swim.

Say hello to Tanjina

Tanjina

Tanjina, 47, is a local resident and mum. She joined Oar and Explore because of her love for sports and her eagerness to learn new skills. However, there was also another, deeper motivation- confronting her fear of water. Taking this step wasn’t easy, but the club’s welcoming environment reassured her. As a Muslim woman, she valued the inclusivity that allowed her to participate comfortably in her Islamic attire without feeling pressured to conform to any expectations.

“It was encouraging to know the activities were local and for women of all backgrounds” she shares.

For Tanjina, the journey wasn’t just about learning to paddle – it was about overcoming personal barriers and addressing her mental health struggles.

She says: “I've been struggling with anxiety for many years, and I'm not shy about openly discussing mental health. Life happens and we all need support and encouragement from people and organisations to better our health and wellbeing. The boat club was just that!”

Tanjina

Having battled anxiety for years, she found solace in an environment that didn’t demand perfection but instead offered steady and patient support.

“The staff and other participants were all extremely supportive,” she says. “There wasn’t a race to get to a certain level, nor any demand to achieve more than what each individual was capable of. This meant that the times I found difficult I could step back, and when I was rearing to go, I received full encouragement and was applauded for my perseverance.”

Taking control of the water

Tanjina’s experience at Oar and Explore reflects what International Women’s Day is all about. This means creating spaces where everyone, regardless of their fears or challenges, can participate, grow, and feel empowered. Today, she’s not only a participant but a committee member. This means that she’s helping to run the boat club and inspiring other women from her community to join.

“I haven’t fully overcome my fears, but I am not giving up either,” she says. “I feel empowered to achieve more, and I’m keen to help other women struggling with their mental health to experience the joy that this has brought me and many others.”

You can read more stories from the incredible women we’re showcasing this International Women’s Day here.

Do you want to combat the waters as Tanjina has done? To sign up to our Women’s Only boat club, call 07779 416 360 or fill out the form below.