Woman adventurer nears Madang

British woman adventurer Roz Savage…nearing Madang after an epic sea voyage
Roz Savage passing Diamond Head just before arriving in Honolulu Hawaii after rowing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco

Roz Savage rowing across the Pacific from San Francisco to Honolulu - shortly before her arrival in Waikiki

By MALUM NALU

British woman adventurer Roz Savage is nearing Madang after an epic rowing voyage across the Pacific from Kiribati, something that has never been done before.

Savage was the first person in 2005 to row across the Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to the United States.

She then rowed from Los Angeles to Hawaii and is now on her way from Kiribati to Madang in Papua New Guinea.

According to her blog http://rozsavage.com/blog/ and Twitter sites as of 12pm today (Sunday, May 30, 2010), which she updates at sea, she was 45 miles south of Arawe Island in West New Britain province.

Those who have access to Internet can find out more about Roz including an update on her progress across the Solomon Sea, through the Vitiaz Strait and into the Bismarck Sea, as well as leave messages of good luck and welcome.

Savage was 200 miles from Madang in the Vitiaz Strait today, and after rowing for 40 miles yesterday, she was a little concerned about volume of international shipping which is concentrated in the Vitiaz.

Melanesian Tourist Services managing director, Sir Peter Barter, was yesterday concerned because of this heavy shipping traffic.

“We have advised the National Marine Safety Authority of her voyage so that ships can be advised to look out, regretfully, this may be a little more difficult for international ships who may not maintain communications with PNG radio,” Sir Peter said.

“It is expected that Savage will arrive in Madang later this week, dependent on currents and weather conditions.

“This quite an amazing voyage as no one before has rowed solo across the Atlantic and now the Pacific Ocean and it will be a historic day for Madang and PNG when she finally arrives.

“Her main message about her voyage is to raise awareness of climate change, which of course is important in Papua New Guinea, where so many islands and coastal regions are being threatened with rising water.

“Her voyage is well publicised throughout the world and it would be appropriate for a welcome to be made after she completes immigration, customs and quarantine formalities at the Madang Resort marina.

“We will then allow Roz Savage to moor the boat inside the lagoon at Forum Park where the public will have the opportunity of seeing the famous ‘rowing’ boat before it is taken out of the water.

“We understand that Roz Savage will be in Madang for around four weeks, where she has been given accommodation at the Madang Resort and MTS will take care of the boat until it is shipped to Perth in Australia.”

Sir Peter said MTS was arranging for a flotilla of traditional canoes and boats to make Savage welcome in Madang, and for Madang to have the opportunity to gain as much publicity as possible and to take advantage of the awareness to climate change.