Round-the-world adventurer Sarah Outen has made landfall in Alaska after a journey lasting 150 days, rowing 3,750 nautical miles.
Sarah from Oakham, in Rutland, is now half way through her London2London: Via the World charity challenge which will see her row, kayak and cycle a loop of the planet.
The 28-year-old arrived in Adak in the Aleutian Islands, yesterday to become the first person to ever row solo from Japan to Alaska.
Sarah and her boat, Happy Socks, left Choshi, Japan on April 27.
Sarah said: "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."
Sarah was forced to cut 2,000 miles off her row across the Pacific due to poor weather conditions. After five months of slow progress and long periods of fog and cloud draining her solar-powered batteries, she decided to head north instead of east. Sarah's plan had been to row all the way from Japan to British Columbia – her second attempt after the first was abandoned last year due to a tropical storm which caused her boat to capsize. Jenny Ellery, Sarah's spokeswoman, said: "This has been a journey filled with wonderful highs and crashing lows – 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, Mawar during her first attempt to cross the Pacific in 2012." She added: "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." During her epic voyage Sarah has encountered wildlife, including albatross, whales and sharks at close quarters. Sarah also got engaged to be married to girlfriend, Lucy, popping the question via satellite phone from the middle of the ocean. Sarah added: "I am so grateful to everyone for supporting my return after Mawar - sponsors, family, friends at home and in Japan and my team. "Without them I wouldn't be here. I am solo only physically – there are a lot of people on my boat with me!" Before crossing the Pacific, Sarah kayaked and cycled 11,000 miles from London to Japan. Following her arrival in Alaska, she will fly back to the UK for rest and to prepare for the next leg of the journey. Next spring she will return to the Aleutian Islands and with team mate, Justin Curgenven kayak through the archipelago to mainland Alaska. From there she will jump on her bike, Hercules and cycle across Canada and North America, before rowing solo across the Atlantic back to the UK, expected to arrive in London in the autumn of 2015. Sarah is hoping to raise more than £100,000 for her four chosen charities – CoppaFeel!, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, The Jubilee Sailing Trust and WaterAid. To donate visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SarahOutenHAPPY DAYS.Rowed into bay NE of Cone Island in mist and rain.Japan to Alaska-what an amazing,beautiful,brutal row.Big grins.
— Sarah Outen (@SarahOuten) September 23, 2013
