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Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean
Stuck in a corporate job rut and an unraveling marriage, Roz Savage realized that if she carried on as she was, she wasn't going to end up with the life she wanted. So she turned her back on an eleven-year career as a management consultant to reinvent herself as a woman of adventure. She invested her life's savings in an ocean rowboat and became the first solo woman ever to enter the Atlantic Rowing Race. Flashing back to key moments from her life before rowing, she describes the bolt from the blue that first inspired her to row across oceans, and how this crazy idea evolved from a dream into a tendonitis-inducing reality. Savage discovers in the rough waters of the Atlantic the kind of happiness we all hope to find.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2009
19 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
Roz Savage
6books58followersRoz Savage is an ocean rower, environmental campaigner, author and speaker.
In case this makes her sound intrepid, you should know that as a child she was small, unathletic, and bookish (and is not so different now). Her parents were both Methodist preachers and moved house frequently, so the young Rosalind took refuge in books. She yearned to be a writer herself, but as she went through that painful process called "growing up", she lost sight of her dream.
She went to London and worked as a management consultant for 11 years, until an early mid-life crisis combined with an environmental epiphany made her decide to transform her life. She turned her back on a materialistic lifestyle and set out to row across oceans, using her adventures to raise awareness of top environmental issues. Now she had something to write about.
Since embarking on her first ocean in 2005, she has braved 20-foot waves, been capsized 3 times in 24 hours, and faced death by dehydration when both her watermakers broke. She has encountered whales, dolphins, sharks, and turtles, and admired the timeless beauty of sunrises, sunsets, and star-filled night skies. She has been pushed beyond her limits many times, and forced to find inner resources she never knew existed - courage, mental strength, patience, and tenacity.
She now holds four world records for ocean rowing, including first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. She has rowed over 15,000 miles, taken around 5 million oarstrokes, and spent cumulatively over 500 days of her life at sea in a 23-foot rowboat.
Her first book, Rowing The Atlantic Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean, was published in 2009. Her second book, based on her Pacific crossing, is called Stop Drifting Start Rowing, and is published in October 2013. Her goal in writing is to share the lessons she has learned the hard way, both on and off the ocean, in the hope that they might inspire and motivate others to dream big, get out of their comfort zones, and tackle their own personal challenges the only way there is - one oarstroke at a time.
In 2010 she was named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. In 2013 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. She lives in London with her partner, Howard.
In case this makes her sound intrepid, you should know that as a child she was small, unathletic, and bookish (and is not so different now). Her parents were both Methodist preachers and moved house frequently, so the young Rosalind took refuge in books. She yearned to be a writer herself, but as she went through that painful process called "growing up", she lost sight of her dream.
She went to London and worked as a management consultant for 11 years, until an early mid-life crisis combined with an environmental epiphany made her decide to transform her life. She turned her back on a materialistic lifestyle and set out to row across oceans, using her adventures to raise awareness of top environmental issues. Now she had something to write about.
Since embarking on her first ocean in 2005, she has braved 20-foot waves, been capsized 3 times in 24 hours, and faced death by dehydration when both her watermakers broke. She has encountered whales, dolphins, sharks, and turtles, and admired the timeless beauty of sunrises, sunsets, and star-filled night skies. She has been pushed beyond her limits many times, and forced to find inner resources she never knew existed - courage, mental strength, patience, and tenacity.
She now holds four world records for ocean rowing, including first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. She has rowed over 15,000 miles, taken around 5 million oarstrokes, and spent cumulatively over 500 days of her life at sea in a 23-foot rowboat.
Her first book, Rowing The Atlantic Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean, was published in 2009. Her second book, based on her Pacific crossing, is called Stop Drifting Start Rowing, and is published in October 2013. Her goal in writing is to share the lessons she has learned the hard way, both on and off the ocean, in the hope that they might inspire and motivate others to dream big, get out of their comfort zones, and tackle their own personal challenges the only way there is - one oarstroke at a time.
In 2010 she was named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. In 2013 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. She lives in London with her partner, Howard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 2, 2012
I am happy to be an armchair adventurer.
At the age of 30 something, Roz Savage decides to pull the plug on her ordinary, ho-hum, comfortable and secure life. She's got a great job - sure, she hates the job, but it pays well. She's got a great husband, great in that he takes good care of her, and after he hears of her infidelity, he handles it with grace and asks her not to leave. (so, maybe he's great AND stupid.) The fact is, the nice husband bores her. Her lover bores her. Her job, ditto.
What is a girl to do? Well, get in a teeny tiny boat and row across the Atlantic, duh!
She takes a great deal of her divorce settlement and throws it into building a boat. A teeny tiny boat. (I emphasize this because just over the weekend I had the chance to see a similar vessel, and let me just say: TEENY TINY!!!)
Some people have mentioned in their reviews that it's no big deal. She finished dead last in a race. She had sponsors give her money to help her get her boat and supplies ready to go. She had sattelite communication, for crying out loud!
ha.
Sure, she's in a race. But she is ALONE in a tiny little boat. A boat which SHE powers by herself. She has to desalinate her water. And fix things when they break... things like the desalinator, that she relies on to get fresh drinking water. She has to fix things like her communications equipment... oars. It's all on her.
I tip my hat to her.
From my not so teeny tiny armchair.
:)
At the age of 30 something, Roz Savage decides to pull the plug on her ordinary, ho-hum, comfortable and secure life. She's got a great job - sure, she hates the job, but it pays well. She's got a great husband, great in that he takes good care of her, and after he hears of her infidelity, he handles it with grace and asks her not to leave. (so, maybe he's great AND stupid.) The fact is, the nice husband bores her. Her lover bores her. Her job, ditto.
What is a girl to do? Well, get in a teeny tiny boat and row across the Atlantic, duh!
She takes a great deal of her divorce settlement and throws it into building a boat. A teeny tiny boat. (I emphasize this because just over the weekend I had the chance to see a similar vessel, and let me just say: TEENY TINY!!!)
Some people have mentioned in their reviews that it's no big deal. She finished dead last in a race. She had sponsors give her money to help her get her boat and supplies ready to go. She had sattelite communication, for crying out loud!
ha.
Sure, she's in a race. But she is ALONE in a tiny little boat. A boat which SHE powers by herself. She has to desalinate her water. And fix things when they break... things like the desalinator, that she relies on to get fresh drinking water. She has to fix things like her communications equipment... oars. It's all on her.
I tip my hat to her.
From my not so teeny tiny armchair.
:)
February 2, 2018
So here's the thing: if you have a ton of cash, enough from your plummy divorce settlement (gotten after you were caught cheating and divorced your husband to find yourself) and you've been reliably employed in finance and IT in London for a decade and have cash cascading off you like dead skin, you too can commission an ocean-rowing boat made to your specifications and you can take a year off to row the Atlantic.
There is a whole chapter about the author's struggles with weight and body image early in the book, which is good, because we need more discussion about body image and athletes. But then at the end the author rejoices in a 25-pound weight loss, and something's not quite right there.
The author even describes herself as bored -- bored! -- while on the Atlantic Ocean, rowing her dream. I... what? What?
And then she inveigles her mother -- her mother who packed all the bags, pre-packed encouraging cards for the voyage, maintained the author's blog and brought clean clothes to Antigua -- to silence so she can sip that first sip of white Chablis wine back on land in peace?
Nope. Nein. Non. לא. No.
There are a ton of Fantastic Women's Adventure Memoirs, and this is not one of them.
There is a whole chapter about the author's struggles with weight and body image early in the book, which is good, because we need more discussion about body image and athletes. But then at the end the author rejoices in a 25-pound weight loss, and something's not quite right there.
The author even describes herself as bored -- bored! -- while on the Atlantic Ocean, rowing her dream. I... what? What?
And then she inveigles her mother -- her mother who packed all the bags, pre-packed encouraging cards for the voyage, maintained the author's blog and brought clean clothes to Antigua -- to silence so she can sip that first sip of white Chablis wine back on land in peace?
Nope. Nein. Non. לא. No.
There are a ton of Fantastic Women's Adventure Memoirs, and this is not one of them.
September 17, 2010
Wow. This woman has an ego. The book tells of her journey from a materialistic woman in London through a period of "finding herself" during which she hurts almost everyone in her life (and never seems to realize it) to rowing solo across the atlantic. With only herself for company, she becomes totally content and happy and finds the meaning to life: her.
I'd rate this book a "1" but it is well written.
I'd rate this book a "1" but it is well written.
Read
November 10, 2009Not to be confused by:
Across the Savage Sea: The First Woman to Row Across the North Atlantic
by Maud Fontenoy
I read the Fontenoy book a few years ago and now I know why this book by Roz Savage sounded so familiar! Anyway, the Roz Savage book is better than the Fontenoy book--at least as far as I can tell.
Update: Well, I thought this would be better but I was wrong, it was about equal to the Fontenoy book only a little more introspective and inspirational--if you need to be inspired.
After getting divorced and feeling like she needed to break out of her humdrum life, Roz decides the answer is to take part in a rowing race that crosses the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua. She had her usual share of problems such as broken oars, almost going overboard due to rogue waves and storms, and other assorted issues. But it did keep my interest and is a good book for someone who wants to know what goes on inside someone's head during such an ordeal. Did she make it to the end alive? You'll have to read the book to find out...
Across the Savage Sea: The First Woman to Row Across the North Atlantic
by Maud Fontenoy
I read the Fontenoy book a few years ago and now I know why this book by Roz Savage sounded so familiar! Anyway, the Roz Savage book is better than the Fontenoy book--at least as far as I can tell.
Update: Well, I thought this would be better but I was wrong, it was about equal to the Fontenoy book only a little more introspective and inspirational--if you need to be inspired.
After getting divorced and feeling like she needed to break out of her humdrum life, Roz decides the answer is to take part in a rowing race that crosses the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua. She had her usual share of problems such as broken oars, almost going overboard due to rogue waves and storms, and other assorted issues. But it did keep my interest and is a good book for someone who wants to know what goes on inside someone's head during such an ordeal. Did she make it to the end alive? You'll have to read the book to find out...
February 10, 2011
Two and a half stars, really. I wanted to give it more - I saw and enjoyed a documentary movie about the author's voyage - but it's not (to me) a particularly inspiring book. She got lots of sponsors who gave her money to buy the boat and the gear. She had a Satphone and was texting messages to her website. Things broke, and most of them she didn't know how to fix. She came in dead last in the Atlantic race. Not my kind of role model, sorry.
(I should point out that some years ago my husband and I quit our jobs and bought a sailboat, living aboard and traveling for more than 3 years. I do a lot of river rafting and backpacking, and I run marathons. So maybe I have a different perspective from the average person.)
The writing is adequate; she uses the hackneyed device of "I am here on the boat, and my mind drifts back to..." to get in the exposition dump of why she is there in the first place. At least she didn't start in medias res with her oar breaking or some other dramatic mishap, like so many adventure stories seem to feel obliged to begin.
(I should point out that some years ago my husband and I quit our jobs and bought a sailboat, living aboard and traveling for more than 3 years. I do a lot of river rafting and backpacking, and I run marathons. So maybe I have a different perspective from the average person.)
The writing is adequate; she uses the hackneyed device of "I am here on the boat, and my mind drifts back to..." to get in the exposition dump of why she is there in the first place. At least she didn't start in medias res with her oar breaking or some other dramatic mishap, like so many adventure stories seem to feel obliged to begin.
March 19, 2019
What intrigued me: Roz Savage tops just about every list when you look up inspirational rowing books.
What I liked: I really felt connected to Roz and her adventure. Even though it might seem a little hokey I like how she ties her memories the emotions she is feeling while rowing on the ocean.
What I didn't like: I'm not a huge fan of adultery, and when I got to that point in the book I almost put it down. But I realized I don't like adultery in fiction. This is Savage's life, and it is a story worth reading warts and all.
Favorite quote: "...when you stand at the bottom of the mountain and look up at the mountaintop, the path looks hard and stony, and the top is obscured by clouds. But when you reach the top and you look down, you realize that there are a thousand paths that could have brought you to that place."
You will find my full review on my .
What I liked: I really felt connected to Roz and her adventure. Even though it might seem a little hokey I like how she ties her memories the emotions she is feeling while rowing on the ocean.
What I didn't like: I'm not a huge fan of adultery, and when I got to that point in the book I almost put it down. But I realized I don't like adultery in fiction. This is Savage's life, and it is a story worth reading warts and all.
Favorite quote: "...when you stand at the bottom of the mountain and look up at the mountaintop, the path looks hard and stony, and the top is obscured by clouds. But when you reach the top and you look down, you realize that there are a thousand paths that could have brought you to that place."
You will find my full review on my .
January 29, 2013
I highly recommend this book. It's about a 36 year old woman who feels stuck in her job and has a marriage that is unraveling. She became the first solo woman to enter the Atlantic Rowing Race. She rowed 3,000 miles and reflects about her life as she struggles with lots of things going wrong. Her stove stopped working just 20 days into the race, all her oars had broken by the half way point, her boat capsized, etc. Her determination is remarkable, and it was hard for me to put the book down.
April 25, 2010
Roz Savage quit her ordinary job after writing two obituaries for herself and deciding she wanted the one with adventures and accomplishments. A solo row across the Atlantic was the start of her changing her life and what she chronicles in this book (she also has a blog and a website). Those pithy philosophical statements that I love are here as well as much to base discussions on - good for book clubs from teen to adult
August 23, 2010
Roz became a hero of mine after I read this book, which I just accidentally picked up from a table at the Borders one night. Her personal story of jettisoning a life that no longer fit her and choosing a new path, one she had no reason to believe she could, is frankly inspiring. I expected all kinds of lessons about perseverance, but the book is really about how to forge your own track in life. You're never too old or too young.
June 15, 2011
I could not believe the things I was reading! A 38 year old woman rowing the Atlantic Ocean by herself! I would never brave enough to try something so daring and dangerous. I could see why Roz Savage wanted to take such a risk. I think that everyone wants to escape reality for a time to reflect and actually thing about where your life is going.
October 15, 2009
This is the best book/memoir I have read in awhile. Funny, honest, heartfelt, inspiring - a fantastic read. Highly recommend!
August 28, 2021
An inspiring and exciting read! I learned so much about ocean rowing and the resilience of the human spirit. Helpful to read while training for any big physical challenge such as a marathon!
March 17, 2010
This book probably deserves 3 1/2, maybe even 4 stars, but I'm giving it 3, because I just can't bring myself to say that it's 4 star worthy. To me a 4 star book is one that is immensely enjoyed, and 3 star is a very good, pleasurable read. This was a very good, pleasurable read.
The heart of the book is about a woman named Roz Savage who decides in mid-life that she is going to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. I first discovered Roz through Blogger.com's "Blogs of Note" program, during her second stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. I was immediately fascinated by this - a woman, blogging from an ocean rowboat, rowing across the Pacific Ocean - that's not something you hear or read about very often! So having become an avid follower of Roz's daily posts and various trials on the open ocean, I was excited to learn that she had written a book about her experience rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.
I have to say that Roz is a good writer. She is very engaging and forthcoming about her experience and how she reached the point of setting off in the Atlantic Rowing Race, the first solo woman to do so, and her 103 days on the open ocean. And it was not a sunny or pleasant experience. Suffering from tendinitis in her shoulders, a boil on her bum, 4 broken oars, a broken camp stove, and various and other sundry things like rogue waves tipping the boat precariously on its side were just some of the obstacles that Roz had to overcome during her crossing. Her ingenuity, tenacity, and perseverance are definitely to be admired and inspiring.
And yet - I found the whole reason of her embarking upon this expedition to be kind of shallow. The reason that she states (or that I took away from the book) is that she wanted to prove that she could depend upon herself and herself only to find happiness in life. She constantly refers to a pivotal moment in her life in which she wrote two obituaries for herself - one which she pictured if she stuck in the "life" that she had at the point, or another which was the one that she wanted to have. She admits that her life up to the point of that moment had been spent in pursuing a life goal based upon the altar of materialism - the accumulation of more and more things and working her life away to earn the money to get those things. She states that she found that this did not indeed bring happiness and in fact would lead to an obituary that she did not want. So instead of working for materialism and listening to society's push for "more and more stuff", she decides to take a different path - she instead is going to focus on herself and her "happiness" and what makes her happy.
To me (and this is my opinion) this is just as false and shallow as the pursuit of more things as a means to happiness. She proceeds to enter into an affair, cheats on her husband, but then goes back to him and does try to save her marriage, but ultimately ends up leaving him to pursue "who she really is". And so in this soul-searching quest, she decides to enter the Atlantic rowing race and row across the ocean.
I have to admit that I come at this from a different worldview - one in which happiness is never guaranteed and in fact is very fleeting. My worldview says that life is painful, depressing at times, and hard at all others. There are moments of joy sprinkled throughout that highlight the hope that I live for, but these moments of joy are not the result of living for such an elusive goal as happiness.
I do appreciate the amazing, mind-blowing accomplishment that Roz achieved. It is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit that can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable but just taking one day at a time, and living in the present moment - and those are the lessons worthwhile taking away.
The heart of the book is about a woman named Roz Savage who decides in mid-life that she is going to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. I first discovered Roz through Blogger.com's "Blogs of Note" program, during her second stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. I was immediately fascinated by this - a woman, blogging from an ocean rowboat, rowing across the Pacific Ocean - that's not something you hear or read about very often! So having become an avid follower of Roz's daily posts and various trials on the open ocean, I was excited to learn that she had written a book about her experience rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.
I have to say that Roz is a good writer. She is very engaging and forthcoming about her experience and how she reached the point of setting off in the Atlantic Rowing Race, the first solo woman to do so, and her 103 days on the open ocean. And it was not a sunny or pleasant experience. Suffering from tendinitis in her shoulders, a boil on her bum, 4 broken oars, a broken camp stove, and various and other sundry things like rogue waves tipping the boat precariously on its side were just some of the obstacles that Roz had to overcome during her crossing. Her ingenuity, tenacity, and perseverance are definitely to be admired and inspiring.
And yet - I found the whole reason of her embarking upon this expedition to be kind of shallow. The reason that she states (or that I took away from the book) is that she wanted to prove that she could depend upon herself and herself only to find happiness in life. She constantly refers to a pivotal moment in her life in which she wrote two obituaries for herself - one which she pictured if she stuck in the "life" that she had at the point, or another which was the one that she wanted to have. She admits that her life up to the point of that moment had been spent in pursuing a life goal based upon the altar of materialism - the accumulation of more and more things and working her life away to earn the money to get those things. She states that she found that this did not indeed bring happiness and in fact would lead to an obituary that she did not want. So instead of working for materialism and listening to society's push for "more and more stuff", she decides to take a different path - she instead is going to focus on herself and her "happiness" and what makes her happy.
To me (and this is my opinion) this is just as false and shallow as the pursuit of more things as a means to happiness. She proceeds to enter into an affair, cheats on her husband, but then goes back to him and does try to save her marriage, but ultimately ends up leaving him to pursue "who she really is". And so in this soul-searching quest, she decides to enter the Atlantic rowing race and row across the ocean.
I have to admit that I come at this from a different worldview - one in which happiness is never guaranteed and in fact is very fleeting. My worldview says that life is painful, depressing at times, and hard at all others. There are moments of joy sprinkled throughout that highlight the hope that I live for, but these moments of joy are not the result of living for such an elusive goal as happiness.
I do appreciate the amazing, mind-blowing accomplishment that Roz achieved. It is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit that can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable but just taking one day at a time, and living in the present moment - and those are the lessons worthwhile taking away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2009
From Roz's blog and webcasts, I had expected this to be a very wordy prattle with preachy environmental overtones.
Instead it is one of the best edited and written summations of the reason to do an ocean row, what organizational challenges are faced, and enough actual on-water content to convey the experience without resorting to an overbearing tale of agony. The hazards and setbacks were almost understated. For example a four oar failure would ordinarily verge on catastrophe, but the account here was simply stated as a problem and an innovative fix.
Roz also most accurately stated of any account I have read, that the ocean rowing experience is so wind and current affected. While the rowers expend tremendous energy pulling the oars, in the end the effort mainly serves to steer the boat, and while it helps forward progress, any amount of adverse wind or current can't be overcome and will setback or halt progress, and drive the boat to an uncontrolled course.
Financial and organizational logistical challenges were mentioned but weren't focused on. I suspect that these challenges can be as great an emotional strain as the actual elapsed time spent alone in a rolling wet confined space environment.
At around 240 readably flowing pages, this may be the only ocean rowing experience book that you need to read to grasp the essence of the sport.
Instead it is one of the best edited and written summations of the reason to do an ocean row, what organizational challenges are faced, and enough actual on-water content to convey the experience without resorting to an overbearing tale of agony. The hazards and setbacks were almost understated. For example a four oar failure would ordinarily verge on catastrophe, but the account here was simply stated as a problem and an innovative fix.
Roz also most accurately stated of any account I have read, that the ocean rowing experience is so wind and current affected. While the rowers expend tremendous energy pulling the oars, in the end the effort mainly serves to steer the boat, and while it helps forward progress, any amount of adverse wind or current can't be overcome and will setback or halt progress, and drive the boat to an uncontrolled course.
Financial and organizational logistical challenges were mentioned but weren't focused on. I suspect that these challenges can be as great an emotional strain as the actual elapsed time spent alone in a rolling wet confined space environment.
At around 240 readably flowing pages, this may be the only ocean rowing experience book that you need to read to grasp the essence of the sport.
November 16, 2010
Roz Savage's story is inspiring proof that doing amazing things doesn't start with being a special kind of person. Rather, one becomes a special kind of person for taking on the challenge and hanging in to the finish line, despite considerable odds and considerable hardship.
See mom, "stubborn" IS an excellent quality to have.
Being a most unlikely candidate makes Savage's success all the more sweet. Not athletic, not a daredevil, not self-confident, not a man, she still manages to row across the ocean, by persistence and sheer will alone.
It's very telling that her success is largely a result of mind over matter, and that her greatest peace comes when she is truly on her own with no radio contact and therefore no outside pressure.
I have great admiration for her...and have zero interest in following in her footsteps!
See mom, "stubborn" IS an excellent quality to have.
Being a most unlikely candidate makes Savage's success all the more sweet. Not athletic, not a daredevil, not self-confident, not a man, she still manages to row across the ocean, by persistence and sheer will alone.
It's very telling that her success is largely a result of mind over matter, and that her greatest peace comes when she is truly on her own with no radio contact and therefore no outside pressure.
I have great admiration for her...and have zero interest in following in her footsteps!
August 2, 2017
This is the most incredible book. I was totally hooked from the first page. It is an epic journey and Roz takes the reader with her. I felt as if I was rowing with her, smelling the salty water and hearing the sound of the sea.
This book really made me think though, about what we are doing to our oceans and since reading the book I have taken small steps to reduce the amount of plastic I use and have become far more aware of what I consume. Roz made me feel responsible... just read the book and you will know what I mean.
This book is also inspiring and uplifting. I felt as if I could achieve whatever I wanted when I had finished reading Roz's book. I went straight on to read her other book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration and who loves a fascinating true story of adventure and challenge.
This book really made me think though, about what we are doing to our oceans and since reading the book I have taken small steps to reduce the amount of plastic I use and have become far more aware of what I consume. Roz made me feel responsible... just read the book and you will know what I mean.
This book is also inspiring and uplifting. I felt as if I could achieve whatever I wanted when I had finished reading Roz's book. I went straight on to read her other book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration and who loves a fascinating true story of adventure and challenge.
April 16, 2011
So far so good! I love reading about people and their crazy adventures.
I have mixed feelings on this. I wanted to know more about actually rowing the Atlantic and less about the author's personal growth.
I find the idea of dropping out of the rat race to do something adventurous admirable but I also think she made some very poor decisions. I think they type of people who make the leap to pursue this type of thing are much more accepting of risk than I am though, so I don't know why her behavior surprised me.
It was just OK but now I want to learn more about ocean rowing so I need to see what other books are out there.
FYI: author just started rowing the Indian Ocean solo this past week. You can follow on her blog.
I have mixed feelings on this. I wanted to know more about actually rowing the Atlantic and less about the author's personal growth.
I find the idea of dropping out of the rat race to do something adventurous admirable but I also think she made some very poor decisions. I think they type of people who make the leap to pursue this type of thing are much more accepting of risk than I am though, so I don't know why her behavior surprised me.
It was just OK but now I want to learn more about ocean rowing so I need to see what other books are out there.
FYI: author just started rowing the Indian Ocean solo this past week. You can follow on her blog.
October 2, 2015
Great book. Inspirational for those seeking change in their lives, whether they realize it or not. Savage was living a very materialistic life, but was really unhappy. When doing an exercise on her obituary if she continued her life as she was living, and then writing one on what she wished her obituary would be, she realized she needed to change some things. She ended up leaving her husband, quitting her job, and setting off to sail solo across the Atlantic. It’s horrible in some ways, but it’s so growing and wonderful � I get that the journey is life-changing and wonderful and freeing even when it doesn’t seem that way. So amazed and proud at the wonderful progress she completes. A must for anyone seeking answers, or those who enjoy adventure.
March 8, 2010
A well told and honest account of a thirty-something year old woman (and non- athlete) from England who left her secure career, and marriage to row solo in a 24� boat from the Canary Islands to Antigua The 3000 mile voyage took 103 days. The author was the first solo woman to complete this race and the 6th woman to row solo across an ocean. In 2008, Roz Savage became the first woman in history to row solo from California to Hawaii. In addition, to this great reading adventure, the book is packed with some awesome pictures of her trek.
July 17, 2012
This was a fun book to read. As much about setting goals and achieving dreams as it is about the actual accomplishment of rowing the Atlantic. The storytelling is very good, though the prose does seem kind of forced at times... as if the author might be trying just a little to hard, especially in the first few pages. Thankfully, though, once the actual preparation and adventure starts, Roz Savage finds her cadence and pace in her writing. She takes you along on a journey of discovery and dreams.
March 31, 2013
I love this story about a woman who realized she was not living the life she wanted, threw everything to chance, and did something amazing. It's a story about self-discovery on the ocean. (as the title suggests) It's less about the tragedies and trials of spending months in a rowboat then it is about the strength she gained coping with them. At first I felt like it might be a little chick lit for me, but it turned out I couldn't stop turning pages. When she made it to Antigua I really felt that victory! Congratulations to Roz on changing her life and inspiring me and so many others!
March 27, 2013
I loved Roz by page 4. I agree with other reviewers who compared the book to Cheryl Strayed's "Wild", though I liked Roz's story better. 'Rowing the Atlantic' lost a star from me because it is part adventure tale and part self-help, motivational-speaking fodder. So 5 stars for the adventure part (self-help books never hold my attention). I never even heard of ocean rowing until Roz and it was just the kind of adventure I LOVE to read, and Roz is a great writer.
August 29, 2018
Roz rowed across the Atlantic, then rowed from San Francisco to Hawaii, then from Hawaii to Tarawa then across the Indian Ocean. This book is about her first, the Atlantic, and describes her initial struggles and self-doubts. But, as she approached Antigua she knew that she was in control of her life. The solitude had strengthened her and given her inner peace. Life is one stroke at a time. If bad things happen, keep going or wait it out, then get going.
October 15, 2009
I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. What a challenge the author gave herself and achieved. I'm amazed at the courage. It was truly frightening at times and her story is an inspiration to all of us who want to get free of our inner critical voices. I'll have to do it in another way since I'm no way brave enough to do anything this daunting.
January 30, 2010
Excellent, inspiring book. 38-year-old decides to ROW across the Atlantic solo, never having been much of an athlete and never having rowed the ocean. Spellbinding account of her reasons, thought processes, fears, hopes, obstacles, triumphs as she does indeed succeed in rowing the ocean in 103 days! Amazing feat, and since then she's now rowing the Pacific!
May 17, 2010
Really 3.5 but I decided to round up because I quite enjoyed it despite her occasional Bridget Jones-worthy self-doubt which was a bit grating (though I did appreciate her sharing this very human aspect of the journey for her). Overall it was fascinating to read about what it was like for her to cross the Atlantic alone in a small rowboat. Quite a remarkable feat.
August 31, 2013
A very inspiring and motivating tale of human spirit. Anyone can accomplish anything if they set their mind to it. I enjoyed how much the author just laid bare her emotions and told some of the dark truths about how she came to where she did. Not everything went according to plan, she came in last place in the race, but she finished.
November 23, 2015
Repetitive discussion of her self doubts, guilt, search for identity. A lot of telling instead of showing or illustration. She's rower, not a writer. Wanted more description of nature and a feeling I was on the water, not just in her head. I still liked the book though because I'm interested in adventure in general and hers in particular. Her account is honest and human and brave.
March 18, 2019
Roz Savage dropped out of the rat race right into a crazy and daring adventure. An amazing story. Considering all the challenges she faced and all the odds against her, she persevered right to the end. Although she finished last in the race, after rowing for 103 days, she came out ahead in the race of life. A great read.
February 10, 2011
Speaking as someone who generally goes for fiction, this is some of the best non-fiction I've ever read. I followed Roz during (most of) her Pacific crossing, and it was interesting to go back and read about her Atlantic crossing, as well as the events and decisions that led to it.
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