Ocean rower and environmental campaigner Roz Savage made landfall on the tiny Pacific atoll of Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati. This marks the successful completion of stage two in her epic bid to become the first woman in history to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. Her three-stage voyage began in the summer of 2008 when she became the first woman to row solo from California to Hawaii. That leg lasted 99 days and covered 2,324 miles. On May 24, Savage departed Honolulu for Tarawa, a journey of 3,158 miles and more than a million oar strokes. She arrived at Tarawa on Sept. 6, completing leg two in just 105 days.
Savage hopes that her solo voyages will help raise public awareness of the problems facing our oceans. Her first leg focused on the impact of disposable plastic waste from discarded bottles, cups and bags on marine life. The Hawaii to Tarawa leg has focused on climate change and its effect on low-lying islands and atolls like Tarawa.
Savage’s third and final leg will take her from Tarawa to Australia in 2010. This mission, dubbed Pull Together, will highlight the impact of carbon dioxide and will call for people to drive less and walk more. She hopes that her supporters will match her 10,000 oar strokes a day with 10,000 steps.
A high-tech adventurer, Savage uses technology and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube to get her message out. During the voyages she blogs, posts video and podcasts via satellite phone. Her progress can also be tracked through the RozTracker, an interactive map available on her Web site, www.rozsavage.com.
