British adventurer is first to row solo from Japan to Alaska

LONDON, England – At 11:34HADT today British Adventurer, Sarah Outen (28), arrived in Adak in the Aleutians, to become the first person to row solo from Japan to Alaska – a row of 3,750 nautical miles

LONDON, England – At 11:34HADT today British Adventurer, Sarah Outen (28), arrived in Adak in the Aleutians, to become the first person to row solo from Japan to Alaska – a row of 3,750 nautical miles.

Sarah and her boat, Happy Socks, left Choshi, Japan on 27/04/2013 and made land on Adak 150 days later.

Sarah Outen: “I have had some of the most intense and memorable months of my life out on the Pacific – it has been brilliant and brutal at the same time. And it has been a privilege. But I have pushed myself to my absolute limits both physically and mentally to make land here in Alaska, and body and mind are now exhausted.”

This has been a gruelling journey – storms have seen Sarah confined to her cabin for days and her boat has capsized five times, bringing back memories of being hit by the row-ending Tropical Storm during her first attempt to cross the Pacific in 2012.

And the last few hundred miles have been the hardest this seasoned rower has ever endured. As she travelled further north, falling temperatures and poor light made rowing incredibly demanding. This, coupled with the psychological battle of being alone on the ocean and completely self-sufficient has made for a very difficult expedition. What’s more, this week, she narrowly missed being hit by a cargo ship.

As well as getting engaged to girlfriend, Lucy, the incredible wildlife – whales, albatross and sharks – have been indescribable highs. She has also loved sharing her experiences via her blog and Twitter.

Sarah’s initial route from Japan to Canada was changed as adverse weather had hampered her progress Eastwards. As conditions worsened she decided to head north to Alaska, the safest and quickest route to land.

This Pacific crossing is part of Sarah’s wider expedition, London2London: Via the World, which sees her row, kayak and cycle a loop of the planet.

She has already kayaked and cycled from London to Japan. Following her arrival in Alaska, she will fly to the UK to prepare for the next leg of her expedition.

Sarah adds: “I am so excited to be including Alaska in my journey and look forward to continuing next year.”

Sarah hopes to raise ยฃ100,000 for charity.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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