Ocean rowing veteran Roz Savage, 39, was forced to abandon her attempt to be the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. Her 6,700-mile trans-Pacific voyage began in Crescent City, Calif., on Aug. 12 and had planned stops in Hawaii and Tuvalu before ending in Australia.
The British open-ocean rower was rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter about 90 miles off the coast of California on Aug. 23, just 10 days after departing San Francisco. After losing its sea anchor, Savage’s 24-foot boat, Brocade, capsized several times amid heavy seas and gale-force winds.
“I never thought that I was going to die; I never felt my life was in danger…,” Savage said following her rescue. “What made the rescue my best course of option was I was still in range of land and I was only 10 days into the expedition.”
Once safely back in San Franscisco, Savage began making plans to recover her abandoned boat and resume the expedition. With the help of the research vessel White Holly, Brocade was recovered on Aug. 31. The boat had suffered little damage and was repaired while on the deck of the research vessel. Savage was poised to continue her row but deteriorating weather conditions prevented her from doing so.
This would have been Savage’s second long distance open-ocean row. In 2005 she became the first solo woman to compete in the Atlantic Rowing Race. Setting out from the Canaries she reached Antigua in 103 days. Until next summer, when she attempts the Pacific again, Savage will be lecturing and finishing a book on her Atlantic row. Visit www.rozsavage.com for about this remarkable rower.
