Solo rower Lia Ditton revises plan to conquer the North Pacific

Professional sailor and writer Lia Ditton has announced a revised plan in her mission to become the first person to row solo across the North Pacific.

This April, the London-born rower will attempt a solo crossing from San Francisco to Hawaii, with a new women’s all-time record in her sights. She will then take on the daunting 5,500nm voyage from Japan to San Francisco, alone and unsupported, in March or April 2021, bidding to succeed where 19 other attempts have failed.

Lia says: “My decision to row the ‘half marathon’ first has taken much time and consideration, but my mission is to succeed. The men’s record from San Francisco to Hawaii of 52 days was set by Rob Eustace in 2014, while the women’s record stands at 99 days, set by Roz Savage in 2008. In Hawaii, I will test my storm setup in the Molokai Channel with a support boat assisting. In the autumn/fall, my boat will ship to Yokohama, Japan arriving for a March/April 2021 attempt on the Japan to San Francisco record. 19 attempts have been made to row the North Pacific from Choshi, Japan, to San Francisco. Only two came close – both men and both towed to land the last 20 and 50 miles respectively.

Lia completed a 24-day training row from Ilwaco, WA, to San Francisco in September 2019 that took its toll on both her and the boat. During the 728nm row, the 39-year-old was surrounded by sharks for days, approached by two fishing vessels wanting to salvage her boat and had to battle through five days of gale force winds before rowing 40ft breaking seas to cross the Continental Shelf to get to the California coast.

Lia is being sponsored by Ocean Signal. The communications and safety specialist is supporting her in her new schedule by supplying an extra SafeSeaV100 VHF handheld radio, adding to a comprehensive kit of compact and light equipment that will mitigate risk and provide reliable links to rescue services.

For more information on Lia Ditton, go to www.rowliarow.com, follow Lia on Twitter @RowLiaRow or Facebook at www.facebook.com/rowliarow.