Katie Spotz, the 22-year-old adventurer from Mentor, rowed into Georgetown, Guyana, today , becoming the youngest person and first American to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
A posting to her website as she reached the dock at 12:20 p.m. announced her triumph: SHE’S FINISHED!!!
Spotz began her journey Jan. 10 in the African port of Dakar, Senegal. Her plan was to row to the northeast coast of South America and land at Cayenne, French Guiana, a distance of nearly 2,500 miles.
Early this month, though, she decided to instead aim for Georgetown, Guyana, a decision that would lengthen her voyage by 400 miles but provide calmer seas as she approached land.
The trip took two years of preparation, securing and then preparing her 24-foot ocean rowboat for the ordeal, readying her mind and body for the journey and raising the estimated $75,000 necessary to fund equipment and supplies. Her goal was to raise $30,000 in donations for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, an organization that helps impoverished communities find access to clean drinking water.
It caps an endurance-sport career that already includes a 3,300-mile, cross-country bike trip for the American Lung Association; a 150-mile solo run through the Mojave Desert; and a 352-mile swim last year that covered the length of the Allegheny River.
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Article courtesy cleveland.com
