2011 Expedition Will Row to the Magnetic North Pole

Scottish adventurer Jock Wishart is planning an expedition that will take place next summer, in which he and a small, hand picked team, will set out from Resolute Bay in Canada, and attempt to row to the Magnetic North Pole. Along the way, they'll cover a distance of 450 miles through some of the harshest conditions on the planet.

According to this story, a specially designed boat is currently being constructed that will allow the team to easily drag it across the ice if necessary, as even in the summer there could be considerable ice flows to contend with. Additionally, a great deal of care is being put into reinforcing the hull and making sure that it is durable, yet light, so that it can stand up to the challenges of the ice while remaining easy to row through the water.

Wishart says that he first became aware of the idea of rowing to the Magnetic North Pole in 2007, when he realized just how much the polar ice was breaking up during the summer months. Global climate change has caused waterways to open in the arctic that didn't exist a decade ago, and adventurers are now exploring them in a variety of ways.

The Magnetic North Pole should not be confused with the Geographic North Pole, which is the one that most explorers visit during the spring North Pole season. The Magnetic Pole is where our compasses point, and it actually sits further south in the Arctic Ocean and even shifts location a bit over time. At this point, it is still impossible to sail or row to the Geographic North Pole, but if pack ice continues to melt, that may not be out of the question in the future.

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Ocean Rowing: More on Roz's Arrival

Yesterday I posted that Roz Savage had completed her three-stage, three-year solo row across the Pacific Ocean. When I put that story online, she had only been into Madang, located in Papua New Guinea, for less than an hour, and there wasn't a whole lot of news about her arrival. Today, we have an update from Roz herself as she has posted a note to her blog.

Upon her approach it seems that she was a bit concerned about how many people would be there to greet her when she pulled into the dock. Turns out, she had nothing to fear, as there were more than 5000 people on hand to welcome her back to dry land. As she approached her final destination, canoes rowed out to join her, with locals dressed in traditional garb, and Roz was given a heroes welcome when she did finally reach land.

Interestingly enough, Roz wasn't allowed to officially enter Papua New Guinea until she had completed her paperwork for her visa. So instead, she spent the night aboard a luxury cruiser, called the Kalibobo Spirit while she waited for all of that to be sorted out. After getting a hot shower and a comfortable bed, she was up early the next morning, and they actually towed her boat back out into the water, and she rowed the final segment into shore and climbed onto the island, marking her official end of the row, despite the fact that she had arrived at that point the night before.

You would think that after more than 45 days at sea, Roz would be ready to get home and enjoy a break from this adventure that has consumed her life for the past five years. But instead, she'll be staying in Papua New Guinea for a month, relaxing, exploring, and giving talks on her ocean rows and the importance of environmental responsibility. At this point, I'd say she's earned a little R and R in a tropical setting, wouldn't you?

Congrats again to Roz on an amazing accomplishment.

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Ocean Rowing: Roz Is Done!

Major congratulations this morning to Roz Savage, who has just tweeted from Papua New Guinea that she has arrived in Madang, completing the third, and final stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. In doing so, she has become the first woman to make that journey alone.

Roz's story is well known to regular readers at this point. Living in the U.K. back in 2001 she found herself working in a job she didn't enjoy and caught up on the daily grind. So, she quit that job and set out to put a little adventure back into her life. That included travel throughout the world, and running several marathons. But in 2006, she found her true calling when she rowed solo across the Atlantic in 103 days.

Not long after that, she announced her plans to row across the Pacific as well, and thus began a four year odyssey that was challenging and rewarding on many levels. In 2007, she set off in pursuit of her new rowing goals, only to abort the attempt a few weeks in, but undaunted, she returned in 2008, completing the first leg of the journey by rowing from San Francisco to Hawaii. In 2009, the second stage saw her traveling from Hawaii to Tarawa, where she returned in April to finish this final stage.

Now, the Pacific Row is done, and I'm sure she is ecstatic and relieved to have completed it at last. Over the course of this three year, three stage, journey Roz has become an outspoken environmental activist, and her message of protecting the world's oceans has become one of her primary causes. I suspect she'll now turn her attentions to that cause in an even bigger way.

I'm sure we'll hear much more about Roz's adventure soon enough. As I write this, she's barely been back on land a half hour. I'll post updates as they come in.

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Scotsman Sets Out To Row Atlantic, Run The U.S.

It's good to have goals. They give you something to strive for in life. Just ask Scotsman Don Lennox, who has set a couple of lofty ones for himself. Don had decided that he not only wants to row across the Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 3300 miles, but he also is planning on running across the United States, an additional 3100 miles. Oh, and he hopes to accomplish both in record time.

This past Sunday, Lennox joined three other rowers in launching their attempt to cross the Atlantic starting from Battery Park in New York City. The crew will now row non-stop, 24-hours a day, in two man shifts in an attempt to break the world's speed record. They hope to reach the shores of England in 45 days or less.

That, in and of itself, is a daunting task and an impressive goal for any athlete. But in Don's case, it is just the beginning. Upon completing his Atlantic crossing, he'll board a plane and fly to San Francisco, California where he'll begin the second stage of his adventure - running coast-to-coast across the United States, something he hopes to accomplish in just 50 days.

Lennox, who is a Somnio sponsored athlete, is making this row and run for a great cause. He hopes to raise fund and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and Help For Heroes, two organizations dedicated to helping severely injured soldiers, on both sides of the pond, to get back on the road to recovery.

You can read Don's blog by clicking here and you can follow his progress across the Atlantic by clicking here. So far, he is two days in, and making steady progress.

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Ocean Rowing: Roz Is Closing In!

Ocean Rower Roz Savage has been back on the water for 40 days, as she continues on her solo row across the Pacific, in this, her third and final leg of the journey. Roz first began this adventure back in 2008, when she rowed from San Francisco to Hawaii. With Stage 1 complete, she returned to the islands in 2009, and continued the voyage, ending at the tiny island of Tarawa in the South Pacific, the same place that she set out from in mid-April.

The plan this time out was to finish the crossing, by ending in Australia, but quick glance at the Roz Tracker tells us she is approaching Papua New Guinea, and she is now planning on ending the voyage in Madang, which is now just 260 nautical miles away. At her current pace, she'll probably reach the finish line in a little more than a week or so, depending on conditions.

I would imagine that these final days on the water a kind of bittersweet for Roz. She's nearing the end of a project that has been the focus of her life for more than five years. But she has also shifted her role from not just being an ocean rower and fearless adventurer but also an champion for the environment and an Eco Hero.

Watch for more updates on Roz's progress soon, as she finished up one very impressive feat, a solo, stage row, across the Pacific Ocean.

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Pacific Row: Roz Kicks Off Stage 3

It may be a bit of old news at this point, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. While I was away taking a walk in the Himalaya, ocean rower Roz Savage began the third, and final, stage of her trans-Pacific Row. As of today, she is now ten days out from Tarawa, the end point for Stage 2, and over the next few months, she'll be rowing more than 3000 miles, to reach her final destination – Australia.

You can follow along with Roz's adventure on her blog. She's been making daily updates so far, and is reporting exceptionally hot weather, which is not too unexpected considering she crossed the equator just a few days back. It should also be noted that while this is a solo, and unsupported journey, Roz isn't completely alone this time out, as she has a little spider on board, which she's named Alf, who is keeping her company thus far.

The trans-Pacific Row began back in 2008 when Roz set out from San Francisco and successfully rowed to Hawaii. Stage 2 took place last year, beginning in Hawaii and ending in Tarawa some four months later, which sets up this year's stage that, when completed, will mark the first solo row by a woman across the Pacific.

We'll be following Roz's progress over the next few months, cheering her on to Australia. I'll post updates on a regular basis as she finally completes her epic row. In the meantime, you can also track her progress on the RozTracker, which keeps us posted on her location at any given time.

Good luck Roz! Enjoy the final stage!

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Want To Become An Eco Hero?

A new web/social networking site called Eco Heroes is nearing completion and will launch soon, that asks us each to do our part to help the environment on a daily basis, while sharing our experiences with other, in hopes that we'll inspire one another to be more eco-friendly and conscious of our impact on the world around us.

Spearheaded by Eco Hero Roz Savage, the site will be equal parts social networking and environmental initiative, wrapped up in a fun, colorful wrapper that even has some game elements attached. Each day, members of the site will sign in and share their good environmental deed, which can in turn be linked to Twitter so you can let all your friends and followers know as well. Your "Green Deeds" can be submitted to the site via your Twitter account, by e-mail, or by logging in directly. The creators of Eco Heroes are also promising a dedicated iPhone app in the near future as well, allowing you to boast of your deeds while on the go.

Once submitted to the site, other members can give your actions a thumbs up or thumbs down, indicating how much they like your actions, but more importantly you can earn points based on your Green Deeds, which will unlock special merit badges that you can use to show off your commitment towards protecting the environment and the actions you've done to stand behind that commitment. The site will also recognize Eco Heroes of the Week and award prizes as well.

Right now, if you go to the Eco Heroes website, there isn't much to see. You can sign up for an account, but after that you'll have to wait for notification that the site has officially opened. The launch is expected sometime around April 17th, which not-so-coninsidently is the projected start date of Roz's final leg of her trans-Pacific Row. This time out, she'll be departing from Tarawa and rowing the remaining distance to Australia. it's going to be one last epic leg of what has already been an amazing journey.

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Ocean Rowing: Roz's 2010 Intro Video

While we're on the topic of ocean rowing, Roz Savage has a great video available that serves as a great introduction not only for what she's already accomplished, but also what she has planned for 2010 as well. As many of you already know, Roz will soon set out on on the final leg of her solo row across the Pacific, going from Tarawa to Australia. When she's done, she'll be the first person to completely row across that ocean, a fantastic feat to be sure.

Check out the video below to find out a bit more about what life is like aboard her little row boat, complete with shots of gear, food, the surrounding waters (including aquatic visitors) and Roz at her customary spot, behind the oars.

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Ocean Rowing: Through The Northwest Passage!

I've covered a lot of ocean rowing adventures, including Roz's amazing trans-Pacific row, Katie Spotz's recently finished trans-Atlantic expedition, and Olly Hick's attempt to circumnavigate around Antarctica. Now, we've got another big ocean adventure that is sure to be quite the challenge, not to mention risky and dangerous.

According to ExWeb, French rower Mathieu Bonnier is preparing to row the length of the Northwest Passage, starting in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, and eventually ending in the Pacific, while navigating through the treacherous and icy Arctic Ocean. Mathieu will set out from Greenland this summer, and will row as far as he can before the weather turns bad. He'll then wait out the long, dark, and cold Arctic winter, returning in 2011 to finish the rest of the voyage.

Obviously an expedition like this one could not have been contemplated just a few years ago. But with global climate change causing all kinds of odd things to happen, the fabled Northwest Passage has been open for travel the past few years, with a number of ships making the journey. What was once unnavigable thanks to frozen waters and giant blocks of ice, is now open, at least for the summer months, allowing explorers to visit a part of the Earth that was mostly off limits before. Bonnier will take advantage of those conditions to make his row.

Pretty impressive stuff if you ask me. Should be fun to follow along this summer and next.

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Ocean Rowing: Katie's Done!

For the past few months we've been following Katie Spotz as she rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to raise funds for the the Blue Planet Run Foundation. After more than 70 days out on the water, Katie reached her destination on Sunday, setting several records in the process.

Katie began her epic adventure way back at the beginning of the year when she got underway from Dakar, Senegal, on the west coast of Africa. On Sunday, she arrived in Georgetown, Guiana, having covered some 2817 miles in between. The official time for the crossing was 70 days, 5 hours, and 22 minutes, although she could have finished faster had she allowed herself to be towed in the final few miles. Upon her approach to the South American coastline, high winds and ocean currents began to work agains the 22-year old rower, but rather than give up on her goal of making the solo crossing under her own power, Katie turned her 19-foot yellow boat to the northwest, and rowed eight more days, so that she could find calmer waters with which to finish the expedition.

Upon reaching the finish line, Katie became the youngest person to ever row across an ocean, while managing to raise more than $70,000 for Blue Planet Run, an organization dedicated to funding clean drinking water projects around the world. The money that Katie raised will go directly to helping those projects, which will no doubt help countless people.

According to her Twitter account, Katie has had a busy few days since finishing up. Not only is she getting use to being back on land, she's enjoying the luxuries of having plenty of good food at her disposal too. It seems like she's enjoying some downtime in Guiana and will be updating us with more information about her final hours on the water soon.

Well done Katie and congratulations!

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Tasman Sea Crossing Update: Shaun Carries On!

Yesterday I posted a story about Shaun Quincey, the New Zealander who is attempting to row solo across the Tasman Sea. At the time, we had heard that Shaun has activated his emergency rescue beacon following an especially rough night at sea that saw his little boat, the Tasman Trespasser II, roll over twice, causing equipment to be tossed overboard. Shaun was said to be safe, and mostly unharmed, inside the boats cabin, and he was waiting until dawn to determine the extent of his gear losses, and whether or not he could continue.

Today we have an update on his progress, with the word that he will indeed continue to attempt to row solo across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, something only his father Colin has accomplished. It seems that after checking over his boat this morning, he discovered that he hadn't lost as much gear as he had feared. All of his emergency equipment is in good working order, and his communications gear is working fine too, which has given Shaun confidence in continuing the journey.

According to Shaun himself, the stormy night on the sea was extremely scary, as you can imagine. At one point, the boat capsized and was turned over for more than 20 minutes, with water rushing into the cabin. The 25-year old Kiwi was tethered to his boat however, and was never in danger of being swept away. He described the experience as "horrific", but he wants to continue on none the less.

Quincey set out from Australia on January 20th, and now has roughly 360 miles to go before he reaches the West Coast of New Zealand and the end of his journey. If everything goes according to schedule, in a few weeks time, he'll join his father as the only two men to successfully make a crossing of the Tasman in solo fashion and under their own power.

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Rower Activates Emergency Rescue Beacon On The Tasman Sea

Long distance rower Shaun Quincey has been attempting to row across the wild and turbulent Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand for a little over a month now. The 25-year old was hoping to follow in his father's footsteps and become just the second person to successfully cross that body of water under his own power. But strong storms have been battering that area today, and earlier he activated his emergency rescue beacon, calling for help. At this time, it unknown whether or not he can continue the expedition, but he is said to be alive and well, huddled inside the cabin of his boat.

Back on January 20th, Shaun set out from Australia on his epic journey across the Tasman, a journey that his father Colin Quincey successfully made back in 1977. The elder Quincey remains the only person to complete that 1187 mile journey solo, but Shaun had hoped to duplicate the feat. He has been doing quite well in fact, and had recently passed the halfway point when the bad weather set in.

According to reports, Shaun's boat, the Tasman Trespasser II, was flipped over twice in the night, while the storms raged around him. His home team believes that he may have lost his oars, water ballasts, and possibly other gear as well. They have been in contact with the ocean rower however, and he is said to be safe inside the cabin, and waiting for morning to check out the condition of his boat and gear before deciding if he can continue or not.

Stay tuned for updates on this one. Any time the emergency beacon goes off, it's always a bit scary. It's good to know Shaun is alive and well, and lets keep our fingers crossed that he stays that way.

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Ocean Rowing: The Science of Rowing An Ocean

Ever wonder how the ocean rowers, such as Roz Savage or Sarah Outen, manage to cross vast bodies of water, spending weeks at a time at sea, alone, and completely self sufficient? Then Popular Mechanics has just the article for you. The story takes an in depth look at exactly what kind of gear and equipment you need to successfully cross an ocean under your own power.

Popular Mechanics actually takes a specific case study by checking in with Katie Spotz, who is currently rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, and recently reached the halfway point of her voyage. In fact, they even have an audio interview with Katie, conducted via satellite phone from the middle of the Atlantic, who says that she is doing well, and that the weather is being very cooperative thus far.

Perhaps even more interesting than the interview itself however, is the information on all of the high tech gear that is aiding in the voyage. Pop. Mechanics looks at everything from the shape of her boat, to the route that she chose, and the ways she powers her gadgets while at sea. They touch on her food and water supply and the communications systems she has in place to stay in touch with the team back home.

All in all this is an interesting piece that helps to explain just how these long distance rowers manage to exist for all those days out on the ocean. Like all expeditions, there always seems to be a way to get things done.

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Ocean Rowing: Katie's Halfway Done!

I haven't posted an update on Katie Spotz since she set out on her trans-Atlantic row, but I can assure you that she is making good progress. According to an update that came across her Twitter feed yesterday, she has now rowed more than 1287 miles, leaving her with "just" 1270 more to go.

You may recall that Katie set out from Senegal, along the West Coast of Africa, back on January 3rd with the intent of arriving in Guyana, South America. Initial estimates suggested that it would take the 22-year old American woman somewhere between 70-100 days to complete the journey, and now, 37 days later, she seems on track to easily make that goal.

The entire project has been undertaken to raise funds and awareness of the Blue Planet Run, an organization that is dedicated to promoting and funding clean water projects all over the planet. The according to their website, the non-profit organization has "partnered with 59 non-governmental organizations worldwide to implement more than 200 sustainable water projects in 21 countries impacting hundreds of thousands of lives" since it was created back in 2004.

So what exactly does it take to power your way across the Atlantic? In a recent blog post, from her 34th day out on the water, Katie ran down her inventory of food consumed so far. Here's what she's eaten at this point:

300 Clif bars (lots of different flavors)
210 dehydrated lunches/dinners
98 dehydrated breakfast meals
90 Snickers bars
80 Bumble bars
70 trail mix bags (small)
50 Twix, Butterfinger, and Hersheys bars
42 dehydrated desserts (cheesecake or chocolate pudding)
40 salmon or tuna packs
18 bags dried mango (plain and spicy)
12 bags of beef or turkey jerky
7 bags of dried plantains
8 bags almonds
12 bags cashews
5 bags dried cherries
6 bags wasabi peas
8 hard bread packs with almond butter
12 bags of crackers
10 bags dried pears
10 bags of mission fig and calamyrna figs
8 bags of dried peas
7 boxes of biscotti
30 sunflower packs (small)
200 GU Energy gels
100 GU Blocks
7 bags dried blueberries
40 gummies bags
50 fruit leathers
6 bags of flattened banana
4 bags of mangosteen
12 packs of chocolate covered ginger
4 bags of tangy almonds
3 bags of whey protein
2 packs of Fig Newtons
6 bags of sesame crepes
2 chocolate cookies bags
Nuun electrolyte replacement tablets
1 sprouting kit with lots of seeds!

And despite all of those calories, she's still probably losing weight! :)

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The Woodvale Challenge is Underway, Finally!

After several false starts, the Woodvale Ocean Rowing Challenge finally got underway today, with the original Atlantic Rowing Race launching from the Canary Islands, located just off the coast of northwest Africa. The contestants, competing in solo, double, and quadruple person categories, will now race to Antigua in the West Indies of the Caribbean Sea.

The competitors will be carrying supplies for up to three months at sea, as they row the more than 2550 miles across the ocean, burning as much as 10,000 calories per day. All told, there are approximately 30 boats competing in the event, with the teams with two and four members rowing non-stop, 24/7, to reach the finish line.

You'll be able to follow along on the action at the race's official website, and through the (what else) Twitter feed at @AtlanticRowRace. On the website, you can track team progress, view photos, and get the latest news on events happening out on the water. For a more personal look at what is happening, check out the personal blog of Pete Van Kets, a South African competing in the solo category.

The race was actually set to get underway in mid-December, but thanks to continued waves of bad weather, the start was postponed multiple times. It seems like the weather window has finally opened however, and these tough, adventurous rowers, are now out on the water, and steaming towards the heart of the Atlantic.

Good luck to all involved.

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Ocean Rowing: Katie's On The Water!

A few weeks back I posted a story on Katie Spotz, a 22-year old American woman who was preparing to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, she was on her way to Senegal, along the West Coast of Africa, where she would begin her epic journey, which officially got underway yesterday when she hit the ocean at last.

Katie expects to be on the water for somewhere between 70-100 days, covering 2480 miles in the process. Her target destination is Guyana, in South America, and if successful, she'll become the youngest person to ever row an ocean and the first American to row from Africa to South America.

Katie is making this journey as a fund raising effort for the Blue Planet Run organization, which is a non-profit foundation that promotes and funds clean water projects around the globe. Blue Planet Run is working hard to achieve their goal of clean drinking water for everyone on Earth, and Katie's efforts will help place a spotlight on those efforts.

For the next three month or so, Katie will be confined to her custom built and designed 19 foot row boat, which includes storage for her supplies and gear, a small cabin for her to escape to the elements, and solar cells for recharging her gadgets so we can track her progress. On her first day out, she covered 44 miles, which is an impressive start to her journey.

Look for more updates on Katie's website and be following her Twitter feed at @katiespotz.

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Ocean Rowing: 22-Year Old Attempts Atlantic Crossing

22-year old Katie Spotz is in the final stages of preparing to challenge the Atlantic, in her bid to become the youngest person to ever row across an ocean and the first American to go from Africa to South America by paddle. In the process, she hopes to raise funds for the Blue Planet Run, an organization dedicated to delivering clean drinking water to locations around the globe.

The 2500 mile journey is expected to take somewhere between 70 and 100 days to completed, with Katie facing huge waves and crazy weather on her journey from Dakar, Senegal, on Africa's West Coast, to South America. She'll make the trip in a specially designed, 19-foot row boat, but won't even use a tarp to help shield her from the sun and other elements. The boat has plenty of storage for all of her supplies and comes equipped with solar panels to recharge her communications equipment while at sea.

As of this writing, Katie is ten days from setting off on her journey, and according to the blog on her website, she left for Senegal today. Once she arrives there, she'll spend some time getting her gear and boat prepared before hitting the water. From then on, it'll be just her, the boat, and the Ocean.

For more about Katie, check out the recent interview she conducted, which can be found on video below and be sure to follow her updates on Twitter at @KatieSpotz. Good luck Katie! We'll be following along!

Mike McIntyre talks to Katie Spotz about her trip across the Atlantic, in a row boat

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Outside Blog Interviews Roz!

Fresh off the successful completion of the second stage of her trans-Pacific row, Roz Savage has been interviewed by the Outside Blog.

In the interview, she talks about a variety of things, such as her motivations for the making this journey, what she needs to do to prepare for an ocean crossing under her own power, and the logistics of going solo and unsupported for months at a time. Roz gives props to the team that keeps her going and helps her through each of these demanding and difficult stages, and discusses much more, including looking ahead to 2010, when she expects to get underway on her third, and final stage, ending in Australia. If all goes as planned, she'll begin that stage in April.

Roz will be shipping her first book in October as well. It's called Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean, and it'll hit store shelves on October 6th. It covers her first major rowing adventure, in which she crossed the Atlantic under her own power in just 103 days back in 2005. The book promises to be quite a read, and I'm sure it'll serve as a great prelude to her Pacific adventure as well.

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Ocean Rowing Update: Roz Finishes Stage 2!!

We've been following Roz Savage for the past few months as she continued her attempt to row solo and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean, and I'm happy to report that she has made landfall on the tiny island of Tarawa, closing out Stage 2 of her journey.

Details are a bit light at the moment, but her blog says that she arrived at 2 PM local time today. Anyone following her Twitter feed has probably has more info. After putting her feet back on land for the first time in three and a half months, Roz popped the champaign while hundreds of people looked on. She then went on to the hotel for a much deserved rest, and what she calls "best shower of my life". She also noted that when stepping on to the scale, she was 30 pounds lighter than when she set off. Hmm... maybe I should row an ocean.

Last year, Roz began this epic journey by rowing from California to Hawaii. This year, her second stage was to take her from Hawaii to Tuvalu, but ocean currents, winds, and a variety of other conditions forced her further west, eventually to Tarawa. The RozTracker, her GPS tracking system, says that in her 104 days at sea, she traveled 3,158 miles, taking 1,335,834 strokes of the oars to do so.

For now, Roz will take a much deserved break before starting her planning for 2010, when she plans to row the final leg of the Trans-Pacific journey, going from Tarawa to Australia. When she is done, she'll have become the first woman to traverse the Pacific Ocean under her own power, and amazing feat that I have no doubt she'll see to its conclusion.

Congrats on finishing Stage 2 Roz! Thanks for bringing us all along for the ride.

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Ocean Rowing: Roz Changes Course

We'll stick with the nautical theme for the day, and check back in with Roz Savage, who I haven't written about for a few weeks time. Roz is still out on the water, and is still working away on the second stage of her attempt to row solo across Pacific, but it has not been easy for her in recent days, and circumstances have conspired against her, forcing her to change her course away from Tuvalu, her intended destination.

Conditions out on the water have been extremely challenging for Roz of late. Westward drift has pushed her further than she had expected, and even using the sea anchor has not been all that useful at halting her slide. Now normally, you'd be thinking "Isn't westward drift a good thing when crossing the Pacific?" and you would be right, unless you're trying to hit a very specific target, like the island nation of Tuvalu. Roz has now drifted so far west that it'll be almost impossible for her to continue moving south and reach that nation. So, in her latest dispatch, she has announced that she is no longer attempting to reach Tuvalu at all, and will instead head towards Tarawa, another tiny island in the Pacific.

This announcement is a bit disappointing for Roz, who had hoped to arrive in Tuvalu as a way of bringing awareness of global climate change to a nation that is already being directly effected by that change. But, Tarawa is now well within her sights, and is just 300 nautical miles away, meaning she should arrive in the next week or two. According to the RozTracker, she has now been at sea for more than 95 days and has traveled 2747 miles, using approximately 1,161,981 oar strokes to cover that distance.

So, it seems that Stage 2 of Roz's journey will come to an end soon. And with this change in location, her journey next year, on Stage 3, will be altered as well. But, such is the life of an ocean rower, who must adapt on the fly and be prepared for anything. Knowing Roz, I'm sure she'll have an optimistic spin on things and will take it all in stride. For now though, I'm sure she's just glad to be on her way to dry land again.

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