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t BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE
Howt Unplu lnthe Wired World
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DOESRUNNING MARATHONS DAMAGE YOUR HEART? (page lll)
SUREFIRE TIME.SAVING WORKOUTS
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by PeterBohler
DURTNGrTS PREVTOUS voyage
food, and odds are good that by March the team will own another world record. The niche sport of ocean rowing is booming. More than 450 teams ;_:
A'""u" the 6#"ffi oo, :31: - across :,""UTrX";:ff"ii: J,;j'fl;", OAR Northwest, a Seattle-based
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. :?yrti:*,19r::yltJ"o'"0 :;'i""itrfllfi:?""1i1ili::1' a freighter.Buttheirtoughest BritRozSavage'45' becamethe
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challenge cametwo weerâ‚Źinto the firstwomantorowsoloacross r'rv-u': :'^::"":.-:': 3,200-mile trip,whenthey realized threeoceans,and LevenBrown,
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nowj'saVs ChrisMarndâ‚Źr.ofthe Association Rowersand a member
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row,from .tih"-nrst.t*",.nto rearacrqss ryfiE$ryryrycthe to theCaribbean. Canary,lslands N";i; ;;'il, fiil J;"" fS"; timqthey:Fbrinsins enoush ;'r"*i;; i"j,jd6.;,t, r,.""1]_ ellite ers.\&t*h-aye lorderedflowers fiom
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about $lo,o00 per trip. Onecompany,Roc Expeditions,has upcomingrows acrossthe Pacificandthe Caribbean.Candidatesdon't needseafaringexperience-theyshouldjust be "fit andteamplayersj'accordingto captain DavidDavlianidze. Of course,morepeoplesettingoff into the bigbluemeansmorerisk-andmore rescues, Most rowboatsare self-righting when capsized,but an improperly securedhatch can result in an SOScall. When that happens, the rule of the seais that the nearestboat responds.But rescuescanbe an enormous expensefor the nearbyship or, if the Coast Guardgetsinvolved, taxpayers.According to the OceanRowing SocietyInternational (ORSI),theLondon-based adjudicatorof recordsfor the sport, abouta third of all excursionshaveendedwith apickup.That includes like SarahOutenand experiencedadventurers CharlieMartell,both of whom wererescued by the ]apaneseCoast Guardthis summer aftercontendingwith 5o-foot stormwaves. "A lot of peopledecidethat they're in an uncomfortablepositionandhit an EPIRB"an emergencyposition-indicating radio beacon- "which activatesa rescueandcosts someonea lot of money," says Kenneth Crutchlow, executivedirector of the ORSI. "There'sseriousdebateabout whether so manypeopleshouldbe doingthisl' "We want to avoidencouraginginexperiencedrowersfrom thinking they canget up from the couch and crossthe oceanj' says PaulNewman, recreational-boatingsafety specialistfor the llth CoastGuardDistrict. "But the oceanis a pretty goodleveler.You don't getfar unlessyou'reprepared." For its part, OARhas taken precautions. Hanssenoverhauledhis crew, signing on threenewmembers:AdamKreek.32.a 2OO8 Olympic gold medalist; Pat Fleming, 29, a former collegerower; and MarkusPukonen, 30, a veteranenduranceathlete. The cusboat,the tom 30-foot fiberglass-and-kevlar lomesRobertHanssen(see"RowYourBoat," right), has an unprecedentedsatellitecommunication systemthat canstreamlive video. TheteamalsohiredanERdoctor,anavigation expert,and a meteorologist,who will be on call during the expedition.Nothing's certain whenyou're paddlingthrough 30-foot waves andIiving in aboatthe sizeof a dorm room for threemonths,but the groupareoptimistic. "Bikingin Seattleis probablymoredangerous,"saysFleming,"I'm not sayingwe'reunstoppable.There'sjust nothingthatsticksout to methat is superdangerousaboutthis." o 34 Outsldâ‚Ź
ROWYOURBOAT lnside OAR Northwest's state-of-the-art, 3O-foot Woodvale Ocean 4 rowboat, the JamesRobert Hanssen-K.S.
SCIENCE OARwiil a ssist climate-change researcnersny deployinglwO data co lle cto r sd u r ing the voyage,measLrr'' ing pH, temperature, salinitv.and dissolvedcarbon dioxideand oxygen.
POWER A l60rwatt wind turbine on the stern and a 530-watt solar arrayon the bow create enough energy to keep the battery system cnarged.
LIVINGQUARTERS The boat has an B-by-5-foot stern c:h r n
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ing*usually two at a time, four in storm conditions-and a bow cabin for storing equi pme nt.The 14-by-6-foot rowing deck is exposedto the elements.
WASTE MANAGEMENT T h e p lu m b in gis simple:a bucket. "Youtake a seat and h n r 'n r - r l n n e '
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former rower and shorecr:ordinatorGreg Sp o o n e r ."Bui'l l lbe honest;the first time, ii's a little avJkwardl'
HYDRATION A $ 5 ,o o o Sp e ctra WatermakersVentu r a 1 5 0d e sa lination system draws seawatertfirough reverseosmosrS,spltting out n'lorethan six gallonsr:f fresh water pâ&#x201A;Źr hour.
PROPULSION Insteadofthe fragile carbon-fiber oars favored by flatwater racers,the crew will use 1l-foot wooden oars of their own design,wrapped with carbon fiber for rigicJity-
COMMUNICATION The crew can stream livevideo-a first for an oceangoing rowboat-with a satellitedome connected to Panasonic ToughBooksand T0ughPadswith built-in cameras.
Illustration by lames Provost