Oxford rower conquers Indian Ocean solo (From thisisoxfordshire)

Oxford rower conquers Indian Ocean solo

6:53pm Monday 3rd August 2009 in

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A TEACHER from Oxford tonight became the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean.

Sarah Outen, 24, who last year taught at St Edward’s School, in North Oxford, completed a record-breaking 3,000-mile journey over 124 days.

Ms Outen, who graduated from Oxford University’s St Hugh’s College with a degree in biology, set out from Perth, in Australia, in March.

After battling through rough seas, heat, adverse winds, and dodging heavy shipping, she reached the island of Mauritius, off the east coast of Africa.

Her mother Helen said: “It was so wonderful to see Sarah rowing towards Mauritius. It scares me to think of my little girl completely alone at sea for such a long time.”

Ms Outen became the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean and the youngest person ever to complete the voyage.

She decided to make the voyage following the death of her father, Derek Outen, in 2006 to raise money for research into rheumatoid arthritis – the disease Mr Outen had battled for 20 years.

Her solo journey has raised thousands of pounds for Arthritis Care.

She said: “I hope that one day people won’t have to suffer like my dad did.

“It cut short his career in the Royal Air Force and it really did take away his life in many ways.

“But Dad was an unstoppable force, too, in his own right.

“Without doubt, he has been and will remain, one of the greatest inspirations in my life.

“I’m a big believer that if you have to do something to survive, you will do it.”

She spent up to 12 hours a day rowing, often in scorching sun and riding 30ft waves, in her 20ft boat Serendipity, which was designed to right itself immediately if it overturned in rough weather.

The boat had desalination equipment to provide drinking water, along with a big food supply.

Last night, Ms Outen let slip that as well as vast supplies of chocolate, she took three bottles of champagne for the trip, one to mark her 24th birthday, one for the anniversary of her father’s death and one for the halfway mark.

Forty-six women have successful ocean-rowing crossings to their name, but just seven achieved it alone.

However, none had crossed the Indian Ocean.

Ms Outen first took up rowing at the age of 14 and represented her college in university races.

At university, she spent summer holidays sailing in the Hebrides with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, conducting marine mammal and seabird surveys, for her dissertation research into basking sharks.

Rachel Haynes, of Arthritis Care, said: “Although she went solo, she was not alone as Arthritis Care and nine million people with arthritis were with her in spirit, cheering her on.”