Stormy weather delays Oakham adventurer Sarah Outen

Wild winds and choppy seas are delaying adventurer Sarah Outen in her record-breaking attempt to row across the Pacific. Sarah, 27, from Oakham, is stuck in Japan waiting for the right kind of weather to carry her swiftly on her way towards Canada. She has been preparing to set off since April 1 as she continues her trip around the globe by bike, kayak and rowing boat. Jenny Ellery, her spokeswoman in the UK, said: "She's still playing the waiting game unfortunately, and she's been enjoying a bit of downtime this weekend seeing friends while she waits for the weather. "It's been pretty full-on weather for the last week and she needs clear weather with the right winds and currents to get her away from shore and safely through the shipping lanes to the currents out in the ocean that can help her on her way. "She knows it's not worth taking any chances." On her last attempt to cross the Pacific last summer, Sarah found herself in the middle of a typhoon, which capsized her boat, Gulliver, numerous times, forcing her to spend days locked in her cabin, wearing a crash helmet as 30-foot waves threw her boat around. She has now had a new boat – called Happy Socks – made and is hopeful of making it across the Pacific on her second attempt. If she succeeds, she will be the first person to row solo from Japan to Canada. Describing the current weather in Japan on her blog, Sarah said: "One of my Japanese friends told me these storms are called 'bomb low pressures'. "I can see why – it is pretty gnarly at the moment. "Yachts were being rocked right over at jaunty angles, tugging at their lines or leaning right over the pontoons, and the palms were being thoroughly blasted. "It was like a very wet wind tunnel on full throttle. "For me now the focus is on keeping myself as focussed as possible, given that my to-do List for Happy Socks has just about run itself out. No window for departure just yet – so wait, we shall." The crossing is expected to take about six months. If she makes it across, she will then bike 3,000 miles from the west coast of Canada to Nova Scotia before returning to London over the North Atlantic. You can follow Sarah's progress at www.sarahouten.com