UK woman crosses the Pacific solo on eco-trip
Source: Agencies |
June 6, 2010, Sunday
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A British environmentalist has become the first woman to row alone across the Pacific Ocean, receiving a rock star welcome in Papua New Guinea after finishing a nearly 13,000-kilometer trip that nearly claimed her life.
Thousands turned out to welcome Roz Savage, 42, as she rowed her 7-meter boat named Brocade toward Madang on Friday.
Several people paddled canoes alongside her as she cruised into the harbor, where well-wishers adorned her with colorful leis.
"I'm already starting to think about the next one!" Savage said yesterday by telephone from Papua New Guinea, where she will rest for the next month.
Climate change
Savage previously crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 103 days and uses her trips to promote environmental causes. The Pacific row was meant to raise awareness about climate change and plastic debris polluting the ocean. She wants people to use biodegradable trash bags and reusable grocery bags.
She estimates she made 2.5 million oar strokes during her 250-day trip, which was broken up into three different legs. She set off from San Francisco on May 25, 2008, and rowed 4,640km over 99 days to Hawaii. On May 22, 2009, she left Hawaii and rowed 5,053km - or an estimated 1 million oar strokes - before reaching the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati in September. She left Kiribati on April 19.
Although the weather was mostly calm, and her biggest health concern was heat rash, there was one moment during the journey when she became separated from her boat and feared she might drown.
Her boat hook fell overboard, and by the time she'd taken off her hat, iPod earplugs and sunglasses to swim after it, it had drifted far away. When she reached it and began swimming back to the boat, she was already tiring. She eventually abandoned the hook, but the boat was drifting farther away, and by the time she climbed back on board, she was perilously close to drowning, she said.
"That was a really, really dumb thing to do," she said. "I will certainly, certainly never do it again."
Her rowboat was equipped with a satellite phone and a desalination machine, allowing her to convert saltwater into drinkable water. She ate dried fruit, nuts, some freeze-dried meals and grew her own bean sprouts on board in a small pot. She was gleeful when locals welcomed her with a platter of fresh fruit upon her arrival in Madang. "I did some serious damage to that," she joked.
Savage said she officially finished the row late on Thursday night but wasn't allowed to dock immediately because she had to clear customs the next morning. Instead, she spent the first night post-adventure on another boat - albeit a fancier one than the vessel that has carried her across the ocean.
She estimates she lost about 10 kilograms during the trip.
Savage said that she is hoping to next conquer the Indian Ocean, rowing from Perth, Australia, to Mauritius next year.
Thousands turned out to welcome Roz Savage, 42, as she rowed her 7-meter boat named Brocade toward Madang on Friday.
Several people paddled canoes alongside her as she cruised into the harbor, where well-wishers adorned her with colorful leis.
"I'm already starting to think about the next one!" Savage said yesterday by telephone from Papua New Guinea, where she will rest for the next month.
Climate change
Savage previously crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 103 days and uses her trips to promote environmental causes. The Pacific row was meant to raise awareness about climate change and plastic debris polluting the ocean. She wants people to use biodegradable trash bags and reusable grocery bags.
She estimates she made 2.5 million oar strokes during her 250-day trip, which was broken up into three different legs. She set off from San Francisco on May 25, 2008, and rowed 4,640km over 99 days to Hawaii. On May 22, 2009, she left Hawaii and rowed 5,053km - or an estimated 1 million oar strokes - before reaching the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati in September. She left Kiribati on April 19.
Although the weather was mostly calm, and her biggest health concern was heat rash, there was one moment during the journey when she became separated from her boat and feared she might drown.
Her boat hook fell overboard, and by the time she'd taken off her hat, iPod earplugs and sunglasses to swim after it, it had drifted far away. When she reached it and began swimming back to the boat, she was already tiring. She eventually abandoned the hook, but the boat was drifting farther away, and by the time she climbed back on board, she was perilously close to drowning, she said.
"That was a really, really dumb thing to do," she said. "I will certainly, certainly never do it again."
Her rowboat was equipped with a satellite phone and a desalination machine, allowing her to convert saltwater into drinkable water. She ate dried fruit, nuts, some freeze-dried meals and grew her own bean sprouts on board in a small pot. She was gleeful when locals welcomed her with a platter of fresh fruit upon her arrival in Madang. "I did some serious damage to that," she joked.
Savage said she officially finished the row late on Thursday night but wasn't allowed to dock immediately because she had to clear customs the next morning. Instead, she spent the first night post-adventure on another boat - albeit a fancier one than the vessel that has carried her across the ocean.
She estimates she lost about 10 kilograms during the trip.
Savage said that she is hoping to next conquer the Indian Ocean, rowing from Perth, Australia, to Mauritius next year.
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