Ohio native Katie Spotz, 22, made landfall in French Guyana Sunday, becoming the youngest person to row across an ocean alone. Spotz left Dakar, Senegal, on January 3rd, 2010, 70 days earlier.
From the New York Times:
Spotz had packed enough food to last 110 days: half a million calories’ worth of mostly freeze-dried meals, granola and dried fruit. Her crossing took much less time because she had help from the trade currents, and was fortunate not to face any major weather or technical problems.
Her 19-foot yellow wooden rowboat was broadsided by 20-foot waves as she approached South America. It was a frightening ride, even though the boat was built to withstand hurricanes and 50-foot waves, said Phil Morrison, the British yacht builder who designed it.
Spotz said in a telephone interview after the trip, “I was worried the boat might capsize.”
