‘Some days I am haunted by visions from the capsizes,’ she wrote
By David Aaro for Fox News
A San Francisco resident has been at sea for nearly three months as she attempts to row her way across the Pacific Ocean.
Lia Ditton, 40, a licensed captain and self-described “professional adventurer,” left San Francisco on June 17, embarking on a nearly 2,500-mile journey toward Hawaii in a 20-foot rowboat — alone and without a support crew.
She’s documented the journey on her website, where she describes encounters with sharks, dangerous weather, large waves and fears of her boat overturning.
“Some days I am haunted by visions from the capsizes — water entering the cabin as if water were a person stepping inside,” she wrote two weeks ago. “Then there are days like today, where I think the only thing missing from the equation is a slightly larger boat, some sails, a few more crew, and a lunch with fresh tuna!”
Another entry detailed an encounter with a large shark that woke her up early one morning.
“‘Biff!’ There is a soft blow to the stern. ‘Biff!’ Another one. Something is rear-ending the boat! My head torch illuminates a 10ft shark at the back of the boat. ‘What to do, what to do… I can’t have the shark damaging my rudder!'” she wrote. “His eye balls glint in the light. I keep the light trained on his head now, continuously, not to aggravate just to annoy until he backs further and further away.”
Ditton hopes to set the fastest-ever solo crossing from San Francisco to Hawaii. Due to poor conditions and challenges from her small vessel, she abandoned her quest for the 52-day speed record set in 2014 by Rob Eustace and instead focused on beating the women’s record of 99 days, reports said. Read more from Fox News.
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