Annals Of Adventure–Maud Fontenoy Takes To The Pacific: The last time TWC checked in on French endurance rower Maud Fontenoy was 2003, after she had just become the first woman to row the Atlantic west to east. It only took her a Sisyphean 117 days, and now–presumably just recovered from her blisters–she is back. On Wednesday she set out across the Pacific, to attempt to become the first person to row from Lima, Peru to Tahiti. Maud is 27, and her aim is to match the 1947 voyage made by Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki, except instead of a sinking reed raft she’s jockeying a high-tech 23-foot rowboat. It’s a mere 4900 miles, and so far she has covered, umm let’s see, 18.9. It took ol’ Thor 101 days to make the trip, but Maud expects to be out there a lot longer. How long? Know one really knows, but Maud is saying maybe 5 months. Yup, that’s months. You can follow Maud’s mad journey on her website, and over at the estimable Ocean Rowing Society. It takes a special mentality to put oneself through this sort of epic voyage into masochism, and Maud is typically French in her philosophy, saying according to one pre-start report:

“I know I’m going to have different problems, big storms and loneliness,” she said. “But you know the victory will be bigger since it was difficult at the beginning.”

“I’m going to put my hand in the ocean to touch a dolphin and meet whales and be in total harmony with nature,” she said. “I’m looking for a different way of living, a simple life. Just me and the ocean.”

It will certainly be a different way of living, but I doubt it will be simple. Go for it, Maud…



Maud Fontenoy, The “Before” Picture: “They look pretty good now, don’t they…?”