NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN – (Sept. 4, 1998) – Days after riding out the remnants of Hurricane Bonnie, American solo rower Tori Murden faces Hurricane Danielle, which is heading her way on a direct northeast course at 28 mph. Meteorologists said Danielle will reach Murden Saturday.

According to the U.S. National Weather Service, Hurricane Danielle is bearing 50-foot seas and more than 75 mph winds.

The 35-year-old rower has been alone at sea since beginning her attempt to row the North Atlantic on June 14. If Murden succeeds in her endeavor, she becomes the first American and first woman to row across and ocean alone and unsupported.

On Monday Aug. 31, Bonnie, by then downgraded to a tropical low, passed within 150 miles of Murden’s 23-foot rowboat, the sector no limits™ American Pearl. Ocean vessels in the area reported high wind and heavy seas.

But according to Dane Clark, meteorologist with the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Danielle will be more severe than Bonnie. "Storms that remain over water tend to maintain intensity for a longer period of time," Clark explained. "And unlike Hurricane Bonnie, Danielle has not struck land. Tori will likely encounter winds of up to 40-50 knots and seas as high as 20-30 feet."

As of Thursday, Sept. 3, Hurricane Danielle was located south of Nova Scotia. The U.S. National Weather Service forecasts that Danielle will become a tropical storm by the time it passes over Murden early Saturday GMT. Storms are classified as "tropical" when winds are under 75 mph.

Murden is about 1,000 nautical miles from Brest, France – her target destination. For 82 days, she has rowed more than 2,500 nautical miles, completing two-thirds of the projected journey.

Murden’s daily positions are received via an Argos satellite transmitter affixed to her boat. A second Argos transmitter, her only means of communication, allows Murden to send pre-coded messages to her technical team in France. Hours after Bonnie passed, the technical team was relieved to receive Tori’s report that "Everything is O.K."

Murden is averaging more than 26 nautical miles of progress each day. For the first one-third of her journey, she followed the Gulf Stream – a favorable two-knot current. Over the last couple weeks however, Murden has slowed considerably as she fights swirling currents and heavy seas.

The sector no limits™ American Pearl is designed to self-right and self-bale after capsizing, a likely event during turbulent sea conditions.

But prospects for steady progress should brighten with the passing of Danielle. "From her present position, she can expect a favorable push east in the coming days," predicted Satellite Oceanographer Jenifer Clark, an expert on ocean currents.

Murden is pulling about 1,500 pounds of boat, food and technical gear as she rows 10 hours each day west to east across the North Atlantic. Her progress can be tracked on the Internet at www.oceanrowing.com.

Murden is sponsored by Sector Sport Watches, as part of the company’s "No Limits" philosophy. Providing ongoing support and technical assistance to extreme athletes and adventurers worldwide, Sector encourages individuals who dare test the outer limits of human endurance.

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04 September 1998

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