SECTOR ROWER MAKES STEADY PROGRESS ON ISOLATED JOURNEY ACROSS NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN – (July 11, 1998) – Twenty-seven days into her solo attempt to row the Atlantic Ocean, extreme athlete Tori Murden has rowed 1,035 nautical miles toward Europe. She is one-quarter of the way toward her ultimate goal – completing a 3,300-nautical mile solo, unsupported crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Murden, a member of the NO LIMITS™ Sector Team, departed from the Oregon Inlet in Nags Head, N.C. on June 14. She plans to row up to four months, targeting the west coast of France in mid-September. She is averaging 48 miles of progress each day.
Murden has made swift headway since reaching the Gulf Stream, a favorable two-knot current, on June 19. From July 4-6, she was slowed by 10-15 knot headwinds that pushed her boat off course. Favorable southwest winds have since assisted the 35-year-old extreme athlete in regaining progress.
On July 7, a U.S. commercial vessel passed Murden’s 23-foot rowboat, the SECTOR NO LIMITS™ American Pearl. According to the ship’s captain, Murden "sounded great."
She told the ship’s captain that she twice capsized, an expected event in rough seas. The SECTOR NO LIMITS™ American Pearl rowboat is self-righting and self-bailing and worked as designed, she reported.
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.
Murden’s daily positions are received via an Argos satellite transmitter affixed to her rowboat. Her progress can be tracked on the Internet at www.oceanrowing.com.
Only five rowers – all men – have completed the west to east crossing. If Murden succeeds, she becomes the first American and first woman to row across an ocean solo and unsupported.
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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Editor’s note: Color transparencies and B-roll of Murden’s departure are available through Communications West.
11 July 1998
Contact: Julie Wellik, Susan Barnes or Shannon Matus
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