Sarah Outen

Sarah Outen MBE

Sarah Outen, a frequent user of the facilities at Rutland Water, has set herself an amazing challenge: to travel from London2London: Via the World, purely under her own steam, using just a bicycle, kayak and rowing boat.

Sarah’s story so far:

In 2009 at the age of 24, Sarah Outen from Oakham, Rutland, became the first and only woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean. Her 124 day journey from Australia to Mauritius in her tiny six metre boat captured the imagination of people around the globe, earned her three Guinness World Records and cemented her reputation as Britain’s most exciting female adventurer. In June this year she was made an MBE for her achievements in rowing and her contribution to conservation and charitable endeavours.

A New Challenge: Overview London2London: via the World

On the 1^st April 2011, Sarah embarked on the most difficult and dangerous solo expedition ever undertaken by a woman: London2London: via the World Plotting a route never before attempted, her record-breaking  20,000 mile, 2 and a half year adventure, will see her rowing the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans solo, as well as cycling across three continents.

Midday on April Fool’s Day, with the tide behind her , Sarah  set off from Tower Bridge, London, waved on by crowds of well wishers and coachloads of school children from Rutland, her mission;  to journey right around the globe using a kayak, a bicycle and a tiny rowing boat. 

She set off down the Thames and paddled to Kent to cross the Channel in her kayak Nelson.  She then aimed to cycle 7,800 in 22 weeks on her bike Hercules through France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and then  back into Russia.      

Sarah will use Nelson and Hercules to paddle and cycle her way over 1,000 miles toJapan via the remote island of Sakhalin.  She will then row solo across 5000 miles of the North Pacific in her tiny boat Gulliver, take up Hercules saddle again and cycle 3,000 miles from Vancouver to New York, then row solo  home across 2,500 miles of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Nobody has ever rowed this combination of oceans in a single journey around the globe, solo or otherwise.

Only 2 men have ever rowed the North Pacific solo.  Sarah will be the first woman to row solo across the North Pacific. 

Her record breaking endeavour is expected to last 2 and a half years and, true to the idea of a continuous journey, she won’t be coming home in between legs.

Sarah’s dangerous journey is unique.  She will be breaking records, blazing trails and sharing her adventure with school children as she goes, uploading blogs, video and engaging in live Q&A’s with classrooms around the world. 

In her own words...

‘My journey is all about human power – to make a complete loop of our planet using only a rowing boat, a bike and a kayak. It is simple in theory, but in practice it will be monumentally challenging. The distance, the logistics, the unknowns, extreme climates – it will be huge in all respects. But it will also be an incredible experience with lots of stories, which my team and I plan to share with people all over the world.’

To follow Sarah's journey, visit her website www.sarahouten.com