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Battling
French rower to cut short historic journey across Pacific Ocean |
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31 October 2005 |
(AFP) |
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SAN FRANCISCO - Rough seas will
force a French rower who is on the verge of ending an epic solo
ocean voyage from Japan to the United States to abandon plans to
come ashore in San Francisco, his team said on Sunday.
With waves thwarting his progress in recent days, 32-year-old
adventurer Emmanuel Coindre will instead likely land in the
northwestern state of Oregon on Tuesday, spokeswoman Katie
Kinsella told AFP.
He had been scheduled to come ashore in the California city of
San Francisco on Monday but has been battling rough waters and
unfavourable winds, his team said Sunday, the 128th day of his
gruelling four-month journey.
But Coindre is still on course to claim what his team says will
be a record by rowing alone across a notoriously stormy strip of
the Pacific Ocean to the US coast.
“He will probably not come into San Francisco now as he feels he
has basically been rowing but not making much progress in recent
days,” Kinsella said, adding that the change of plans would not
affect Coindre’s record.
Coindre has been rowing south off the coast of Oregon for
several days heading towards San Francisco’ Golden Gate Bridge,
which lies about 690 kilometers (430 miles) to the south.
Coindre set out from Choshi, Japan, on June 24. Officials will
met him once he crosses into US waters and bring him ashore,
Kinsella told AFP.
Coindre, 32, has averaged 17 to 18 hours of rowing daily during
his voyage, which has been sponsored by watch-maker Jaeger-LeCoultre,
according to his website. It will be Coindre’s sixth solo ocean
crossing. |
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