After sitting out the winter months in Japan, Blue Ambassador, Sarah Outen is on standby for the start of leg 2 of her epic London2London voyage via the world, to row solo across the Pacific Ocean from Choshi in Japan to Vancouver in Canada.
This is an epic 4,500 nautical mile journey across the world’s largest ocean and will mean between 150 and 200 days alone out at sea. Only two men have previously rowed solo across this northern route from Japan to America.
Sarah comments: “The North Pacific will be the most gruelling part of my whole London2London expedition. Physically and mentally, I expect to be exhausted most of the time – the distance, the solitude, the weather conditions and my complete isolation will make it hugely challenging. In spite of the challenges and dangers ahead, I still can’t wait to get out there.”
She adds: “I am an ocean girl at heart and love being so close to the water and living to the rhythms of the wild. The energy out there is magic and the dynamics so exciting. I am hoping for some special wildlife moments and hopefully not too many storms. But I am especially looking forward to the sunsets and the stars.”
Sarah will be 100% self-sufficient during the voyage, taking all her food with her on board the 6.75m custom built rowing boat, Gulliver. Also on board will be a desalination machine, with which she can convert seawater into drinking water.
She will have a full suite of communications equipment on board, which will allow her to do interviews, blog and tweet while out on the ocean. She will also have an iPod for music, a Kindle for books and will be tracked live using GPS technology. Everything will be charged using the on-board solar panels.
While out on the North Pacific Ocean, Sarah will be faced with a whole host of dangers every day, from exhaustion, dehydration, hypo- and hyperthermia to collisions with other ships, capsizing and drowning.
Sarah explains: “Out on the ocean the biggest danger is from shipping – my boat is so tiny that it is difficult for larger vessels to see me. Landing on the west coast of Canada will also be a huge challenge and probably the most dangerous part of the whole journey. At least if I roll at sea there is little chance of me crashing into anything. But perhaps the greatest challenge comes from being solo out there as I have to be everything to myself and manage every situation as best I can. Sleep deprivation and rough weather can make that incredibly tough.”
A weekend of forecast unsettled weather, strong winds and hugh waves around the coast of Choshi, Japan means that Sarah will remain on standby for the time being.
For more information about Sarah, London2London and the North Pacific crossing, please go to www.sarahouten.com.
