Conquering the sea

Early on Oct. 4, Roz Savage made history by becoming the first woman to row around the globe. Savage, a former corporate worker turned environmental activist, has spent a total of 352 days, 10,665 miles and 3.5 million oar strokes alone at sea, during her voyages across the “big three” oceans of the world. She started her quest to advertise a sustainable lifestyle in 2004 when she became the fifth woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and has been sailing and campaigning for a greener Earth ever since.

When at sea, Savage lives in her ocean rowboat, the Sedna Solo, designed specifically to Savage’s standards and equipped with a cabin in front for sleeping, and another in back for storage. As an advocate for sustainable living, Savage wanted her boat to be eco-friendly and entirely self-sufficient. The Sedna Solo is outfitted with solar panels to power her radio, navigation systems and other electronics, two Spektra water makers to make the sea water drinkable, plenty of organic dried foods in biodegradable packaging, a stove to heat up frozen meals and an Easy-Sprout pot where she grows peas, bean sprouts and lentils.

Savage is a United Nations Climate Hero and an Athlete Ambassador of 350.org, an online organization dedicated to finding a solution for climate change. She is a member of the Royal Geographic Society and was named National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2010. After finishing the final leg of her global voyage last week, Savage decided to put away her oars, and find land based methods of reminding the world that ecological change starts with one person. Small actions can have a lasting impact.