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NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN – (June 26, 1998) – Twelve days into her solo attempt to row the North Atlantic alone and unsupported, extreme athlete Tori Murden has rowed 451 miles toward the projected 3,635 mile journey to Europe. She is averaging nearly 38 miles a day.

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 cross the North Atlantic Ocean in 100 to 120 days, targeting the west coast of France by mid-September.

Murden has weathered wild atmospheric swings, from wilting 105 F heat to heavy thunderstorms. As of June 26, Murden was 3,188 miles away from her target landfall.

On the evening of June 18, Murden battened down the hatches in preparation for a brewing storm. After crawling into her cabin for the night, Murden was summoned to the deck by visitors.

"I heard the pipes and whistles of dolphins," Murden said in an E-mail message. "Wanting to be neighborly, I went out onto the deck to say hello. Twelve or 14 dolphin circled the boat, leaping and carrying on. It was quite a show. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they left."

Murden awoke early the next day to find the storm left her a gift: "A cockpit full of semi-fresh water. I took a bath, then I did laundry."

Murden reached what she calls "the elevator" – the Gulf Stream, a favorable two-knot current – on June 19, her fifth day at sea. The next day, Murden rowed 94 miles, easily her best day’s distance. "A great storm kicked me into the Gulf Stream," Murden said. "The sun is shining. The water is calm. I wish myself to be in no other place on earth than the one in which I find myself."

Rowing from west to east across the North Atlantic in her 23-foot rowboat, the SECTOR NO LIMITS™ American Pearl, Murden is pulling about 1,500 pounds of boat, food and technical gear. She rows 10 hours each day.

Murden’s daily positions are received via an Argos satellite transmitter affixed to her rowboat, which relays her position and coded messages. Murden’s progress, her "Letters From The Edge," and guest book with personal notes from well wishers can be found on the Internet at www.oceanrowing.com, and www.adept.net/americanpearl. Some 30,000 visitors have accessed the Web sites in the first week.

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 solo 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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26 June 1998