Over the long weekend, some of us were slouching down in plush movie theater seats (flanked by a 24-ounce Icee and a tub o' popcorn ) and enjoying the latest adventures of Indiana Jones. Others, however, were setting off on an actual adventure.
Roz Savage, shown here in 2007, aims to reach Hawaii in the next few months, the first leg in her solo journey rowing across the Pacific Ocean.
(Credit: Roz Savage )British rower Roz Savage pushed away from San Francisco and set off under the Golden Gate Bridge just before midnight Saturday, in her second attempt to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific. Last summer, Savage set off only to be foiled by bad weather some two weeks into the trip. She was rescued by the Coast Guard about 90 miles off the California coast.
Savage, who also aims to raise awareness about the effects of pollution in our oceans, is rowing across the ocean in three stages over three years. She expects to reach Hawaii in a few months. In all, she plans to travel more than 7,000 miles, ending up in Australia.
Among the safety gadgets she has aboard her 24-foot boat is a positioning beacon from Marine Track. Find out her latest position by going to her blog. Information includes latitude, longitude, and speed. Even better, if you want to develop some virtual sea legs, you can subscribe to Savage's podcast.
On Day 2 of her blog, Savage writes about meeting a couple of marine biologists out by the Farallon Islands. They offered her beer, bananas, and M&Ms. She declined the beer. "I traded them a business card for the food. Don't ask me why I have business cards onboard. You just never know who you're going to meet when you're mid-ocean, and I hate to miss the opportunity to make a new friend."
Roz Savage, who set out recently to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific, was airlifted from her boat about 90 miles off the coast of California by the Coast Guard on Thursday night.
Roz Savage was confined to her cabin eight days into her voyage. Savage was airlifted by helicopter Thursday night.
(Credit: Roz Savage )Earlier this week, rough seas caused Savage's 24-foot boat to capsize more than once. By Thursday, everything was wet, many of her electronics were damaged and she had lost her sea anchor. After debating much of the day about whether to be rescued, Savage decided to cut her trip short. She was taken by helicopter to California, where she underwent medical tests, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday.
"As far as I know, she's doing really well," said spokeswoman Nicole Bilodeau, according to the Chronicle. "She's in good spirit and upbeat. Of course, she was disappointed and sad to cut her journey short just now, but she was upbeat considering the circumstances."
The 39-year-old Brit, who set off from Crescent City, Calif., on August 12, had planned to row across the ocean in three stages. She hoped to reach Hawaii in a few months. In all, she expected to travel about 6,700 miles, ending up in Australia in 2009. Along the way, the former IT consultant also aimed to raise awareness about the effects of pollution in our oceans. Her previous experience includes a solo trip across the Atlantic Ocean last year.
Savage delayed the start of her trip across the Pacific several times because the weather was not on her side. Once she did set out, she ran into rough weather, but Wednesday was by far the roughest. In a podcast on her Web site, Savage described what it's like to be in a boat as it's capsizing. The podcast's title says it all: "A Night in a Washing Machine."
Update 5:15 p.m. PDT: On Friday afternoon, Savage posted a blog entry about her rescue and the events that led to it. You can find her post here and watch a video of her rescue. Savage said she intends to return to her boat and continue her trek across the Pacific. In her post, she shared this exchange she had as she was rescued by the Coast Guard:
"You can always get another boat," said the Coastie, trying to cheer me up.
I was aghast. "No, I'm coming back for this one," I declared, and already I meant it. "And soon."
Roz, we have no doubt.
My weather gauge is a man who resembles Locke on the ABC series Lost but has a tan deeper than George Hamilton's. His uniform never changes--sleeveless shirt and cutoffs. On warm days, he slouches in his beach chair in front of the apartment building down the street from me. If I see him sitting there, I know it's safe to go outside without a sweater.
Roz Savage aims to reach Hawaii in the next few months, the first leg in her solo journey rowing across the Pacific Ocean.
(Credit: Roz Savage )Roz Savage's weather gauge is a bit more sophisticated. Savage, who aims to be the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean, relies on people like Rick Shema. Shema, heads up a company in Hawaii called Weatherguy.com, which is providing her with marine forecasts and helping her refine her route. She'll be regularly uploading data from an onboard weather station.
Recently, Savage got the forecast she was hoping for--she set off Sunday morning from the harbor in Crescent City, Calif., just south of the Oregon border. She had planned to take off from San Francisco about a month ago, but weather was not on her side.
Savage, who also aims to raise awareness about the effects of pollution in our oceans, is rowing across the ocean in three stages. The 39-year-old Brit expects to reach Hawaii in a few months. In all, she plans to travel about 6,700 miles, ending up in Australia in 2009.
Among the safety gadgets she has aboard her 24-foot boat is a positioning beacon from Marine Track. You can follow her latest position by clicking here. Information includes latitude, longitude and distance to finish. As of Monday afternoon, she had traveled 22.5 nautical miles, with 2,030.3 more to go.
In her first blog entry since she set off, Savage writes: "This afternoon I listened to an audio book of Robinson Crusoe, which seemed appropriate in the circumstances. It helped to listen to a story where everything happens at snails's pace--it takes him about month just to make a table--as it helped me lapse into the slower pace of ocean life."
Ah, a slower pace. I have a feeling that my sun-smacked neighbor down the street knows a little something about that too.
Summertime. It's the time of year when some heed the call to hit the open road, like CNET News.com's Daniel Terdiman. (Follow him on Road Trip 2007 as he travels through the Southwest, testing gadgets and taking in scientific and natural wonders along the way.)
Roz Savage plans to row solo across the Pacific Ocean, ending up in Australia in 2009.
(Credit: Roz Savage )For one woman, it's the open ocean that beckons. This time, it's the Pacific. And she's going to row. By herself. Roz Savage, a 39-year-old Brit, plans to set off from San Francisco next week in a 24-foot boat to row across the ocean in three stages, her first stop being Hawaii. In all, she plans to travel about 6,700 miles, ending up in Australia in 2009. (Previous experience includes a solo jaunt across the Atlantic.)
It's a bid to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific and to raise awareness about the effects of pollution--in particular, plastic--in our oceans. Her trip is a project of the Blue Frontier Campaign, whose focus is on "seaweed (marine grassroots) efforts" surrounding ocean and coastal conservation.
Savage will rely on a variety of tech gadgets to keep her company and keep her on course. Among the safety equipment: a positioning beacon from MarineTrack, which will post on its Web site her latest position. She'll also have two laptops onboard, a PC and a Mac--running Windows, too, via Boot Camp. Savage will also carry a satellite phone, from which she'll send updates to her Web site.
And according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, she'll take along a couple of iPods loaded with music (from classical to classic rock) and audio books (from philosophy to Harry Potter).
(This raises the inevitable desert island question: what gadgets would you take with you? Let's assume two things: the gadgets will enjoy long battery life and you won't actually run into any of the cast members on Lost.)
In a recent interview with NPR, Savage talked about first coming up with the idea to row across the Atlantic. The former IT consultant said: "My first thought was that is the best idea I've ever had. Of course, my second thought was that was without a doubt the worst idea I've ever had."
Luckily, she went with her first thought. Follow Savage along on her voyage across the Pacific by visiting her Web site.
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