British woman rows the Indian Ocean in 124 days
by Sail-World Cruising on 5 Aug 2009
Sarah Outen - photo René Soobaroyen SW
It's not quite sailing, but it's just as green, and those who seek to excel always need recognition. Sarah Outen, a 24-year-old biologist from Britain has just become the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean.
Sarah set off from Fremantle on the west coast of Australia in April and arrived at the island of Mauritius on Monday evening after and amazing 124 days at sea. Sarah is a Biology graduate of St Hugh’s College, at Oxford University.
For as long as she can remember she says she has always been a dedicated sportswoman on and off the water, loves adventure, wildlife and the outdoors.
During the trip across the Indian Ocean she rowed up to 12 hours a day under a scorching sun, riding 30ft waves, battling winds and currents, sharks, capsizes and shipping traffic.
It was not only a test of endurance, stamina and will power, but also in being able to handle extreme solitude.
Sarah Outen dedicated this venture to her Dad, who died suddenly in June 2006 after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. So in his memory she has been fundraising for arthritis charities.
Of her project she says,'I love the creatures to be found at sea and want to encourage others to appreciate them, too. For what we love, we save. My journey is green as far as possible, and aims to encourage responsible stewardship, especially of the blue stuff.'
When Sarah began her trip back in April, she had to abort it once, when communication equipment failed.
She used her back-up equipment to contact water authorities at the port and made the painstaking decision to abort her attempt after 10 days at sea.
``It's a major thing when everything's gone down and I couldn't work out what the problem was,' she said.
``It made sense being that close to go straight back in and get it fixed up and make a second attempt.'
But the breakdown failed to deter her and she left Fremantle port again a few days later.
The boat:
The boat was constructed by Global Boat Works. 'Sarah contacted me over two years ago and said she'd fallen in love with my new solo sprint design,' recounts Jamie Fabrizio of that company.
'It is constructed around a close cell foam core and sheathed in fibre glass inside and out. The boat consists of seven separate water tight compartments making it unsinkable.
'This has certainly been tested to the limit: Sarah's capsized a couple of times in bad weather, but the boat performed exactly as we intended.
'I have built boats for Atlantic crossings in the past, but the Indian Ocean is not to be tackled lightly. Sarah has really had to put all her effort into every mile she has rowed.
'I am extremely proud that our boat has helped Sarah to become the first solo female to cross the Indian Ocean, especially considering that there have only ever been three successful solo crossings.'
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