First Woman to Row Solo Across Pacific

Roz Savage, a British environmentalist has become the first woman to row alone across the Pacific Ocean. Rowing across the Pacific, a nearly 8,000-mile (13,000-kilometer) journey has nearly claimed her life.

Her 250-day trip, which was broken up into three different legs. She set off from San Francisco on May 25, 2008, and rowed 2,900 miles (4,640 kilometers) over 99 days to Hawaii. On May 22, 2009, she left Hawaii and rowed 3,158 miles (5,053 kilometers) — or an estimated one million oar strokes — before reaching the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati in September. She left Kiribati on April 19.

Savage previously crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 103 days and uses her trips to promote environmental causes. The Pacific row was meant to raise awareness about climate change and plastic debris polluting the ocean. She wants people to use biodegradable trash bags and reusable grocery bags.

Savage said she is hoping to next conquer the Indian Ocean, rowing from Perth, Australia, to Mauritius next year.