Sonya Baumstein Rescued: U.S. Solo Rower Trying To Cross Pacific Ends Trip Due To Bad Weather

A few days ago, the Inquisitr reported about Sonya Baumstein’s record-breaking attempt to become the first ever woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. Sonya’s ambition, however, met a premature end when, earlier today, she sent a distress signal and had to be rescued because of bad weather.

According to USA Today, Sonya sent a distress signal to a freight ship that was sailing nearby after the weather began to turn hostile. The ship responded to her call and eventually rescued her from her custom-made rowboat. At the time of her rescue, she was 155 miles (250 kilometers) off the coast of Iwaki city. Baumstein had left the port of Chosi, located towards the east of Tokyo on June 7. Her aim was to row non-stop, cross the Pacific Ocean, and reach San Francisco. As per Sonya’s original plans, she wanted to reach San Francisco by September 2015. The journey, if completed, would have made Sonya the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. It would have also meant she would have traveled an astonishing 6,000 miles (9,000 kilometers) in the process.

That, however, was not to be. According to a local coast guard official, Sonya Baumstein was rescued at around 8.55 p.m. local time. Her initial distress call to the freight ship was made at around 2:20 p.m., he added. The official also confirmed that Sonya was in fine health and that she had suffered no injuries.

Sonya Baumstein is a Jewish athlete from Orlando, Florida, and had prepared a lot for this attempt. She had also made a custom-designed 23-foot long rowboat named “Icha” for her epic journey. The boat’s name translates to “Once we meet we’re family” in local Okinawan dialect.

Sonya Baumstein had planned to row 14 to 16 hours every day in order to achieve her goal. She also wanted to take advantage of a 62-mile-wide current of water called the Kuroshio current to aid her trip. The Kuroshio current is known to arc across the Pacific Ocean.

Baumstein was a competitive rower as a student at the University Of Wisconsin. However, she was unable to compete following a car accident that left her injured. In 2012, she attempted rowing the Atlantic Ocean and rowed from the Canary Islands to Barbados. On that occasion, she was joined by other people. Sonya has also kayaked from Washington State to Alaska and paddle boarded across the Bering Strait. She has also bicycled 1,800 miles from the Mexican border to Seattle in the past.

[Images Via Adidas Outdoor]