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UK rower aims to be first woman to cross Indian Ocean solo

          London: British rower Sarah Outen has launched her bid to become the first woman, and the youngest person - to row solo across the Indian Ocean. Twenty-three-year-old Outen was watched by a handful of friends as she set off on her 3,000 nautical mile journey from Australia to Mauritius, reports The Telegraph. Outen, who has been a keen rower since she was 14, described her voyage as "very exciting, record-breaking, and an ever so slightly crazy sort of challenge". She decided several years ago that she wanted to row across the Indian Ocean, but originally planned to do it as part of a team. However, after her father died suddenly in 2006 she decided to go solo and has dedicated her quest to raising money for research into rheumatoid arthritis, the disease he battled for 20 years. "I hope that one day people won't have to suffer like my dad did," she said. Outen's voyage is expected to last around 100 days and will test both her physical fitness and psychological strength. She will be rowing up to 12 hours a day, and is likely to face many challenges including storms, huge seas, currents, heat and unfavourable winds, as well as the dangers of shipping traffic.
-Mar 15, 2009

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