Rowing alone across the Atlantic Ocean might be enough of a feat for some people to retire on. But not Roz Savage. This irrepressible adventurer (and blogger, speaker, and writer) now has her sights set on a Pacific triumph, too.
Over the next several years, Roz plans to row her boat, the Brocade, from San Francisco to Australia, by way of Hawaii and Tuvalu.
As she does, her web site will track her closely. Already, it boasts a wealth of information on her nutritional needs, the technology on board the Brocade, and how she generates power. It also details her daily tech routine, which includes blog and video posts, podcasts, and text messages—this after rowing 12 hours a day!
When we caught up with Roz, she told us what she thinks of the Internet, why her phone bill is $2,000 when she’s at sea, and what sites inspire her most…
Hey Roz, tell us about your site. It’s beautifully designed and loaded with content.
That is so kind of you. To me, my site is very important. I see the Internet as the future, the way that most communication is going to happen—through the Internet and mobile phones. At the same time, I have a very limited budget, so I have not been able to afford a super-slick, all-bells-and-whistles kind of a site.
Well, it looks great. How did it come about?
Since 2003, I have been working with Tim Harincar of Xjournal/Sailblogs… Tim is based in Minneapolis, but we have never met. We have often said how great it would be if we could meet over a beer and chat about my web site strategy face-to-face, but in the absence of that opportunity we have had a few video-conferences where he has sat with his beer in Minneapolis and I have sat with my beer in California and we have talked for ages over how the site should look.
Does it require alot of you?
The thing I love about my web site is that I have so much control over it. Call me a control freak if you will, but it would drive me crazy if I had to submit all new content to my webmaster and then wait a few weeks for him to implement it.
In the system we have now, Tim sets up the pretty stuff. But the actual content… that is all me—for better or worse! I don’t feel like it’s hugely professional or polished… But I feel it reflects me and my values, so although it may be a little bit homespun, I like it, and I love the way that people seem to respond to it in a very positive way.
Tell us about peoples’ responses.
I’m so excited now that we’re getting so much more traffic, and so many more comments. I find it hard to know how to respond to the more flattering comments (we Brits don’t take easily to flattery!).
I love the votes of confidence (often elicited by an adverse comment, e.g. Regis Philbin doubting that I can make it). I don’t enjoy the advice (so everybody’s an expert!) But most of all I just am delighted that people are looking at my site and participating and reacting. I don’t even mind if it is a positive or a negative reaction—just CARE! Just REACT! Just THINK!
That is all I care about—making people mindful. If they look at my site, love it, hate it, whatever, I don’t mind. But what I hope I stand for is this: Look at your life. Are you happy? Are you doing something meaningful? If you carry on living as you live today, will you end up with a life that you are proud of? And if not, why not? What is holding you back?
Ok, and here endeth the sermon!!!
Amen! Knowing that you will be blogging, podcasting, vlogging, and sending text alerts AS YOU ROW across the Pacific is astounding to us. How the heck do you do that?
Hey, I worked in information technology for 11 years—there had to be some upsides to it! This IS pretty cutting edge, as rowboat communications go.
The main problem is that using an Iridium satphone, my bandwidth is 2.4KB/s—i.e. DEAD SLOW! So to send back 30 seconds of video will take 30 minutes of transmission time, aka $45. My phone bill will be about $2,000 per month. There is some amazing satellite technology available, but would I want constant webcam? No—for these reasons:
it would cost a fortune
the size of comms dome would sink my boat
if I was going to be on constant webcam, I would have to put some clothes on (very inconvenient!)
But it’s really important to me to do this. To get the environmental and inspirational messages out there, it’s essential to have a data-rich, “sticky” web site. So I am willing to invest the time and money. And, of course, it’s fun. Or more fun than rowing 12 hours a day anyway!
Tell us about your boat.
The Brocade is an interesting combination of high-tech comms and low-tech human power. Solar panels and a wind generator power all my electronics, which include a desalinator for making drinking water as well as all my techno-toys. So the boat is a perfect showcase for sustainable energies.
It was important to me that every aspect of my row should be environmentally low-impact, and that my partners should share my values—so I am honored to be rowing as a project of the marine conservation nonprofit Blue Frontier Campaign, and sponsored by Brocade, who design energy-efficient data storage technology. I am really grateful to them and to the countless others who have helped me get ready for this row. When the going gets tough, it will be their faith in me that keeps me going.
Are there any sites that you find inspiring or that egg you on?
Here are my recent favorites (and one of the perks of my job—these are all people that I would count as friends of mine…)
Miami2Maine
Global Warming 101
Project Thin Ice
Personal Everest
Lewis Gordon Pugh
Good luck, Roz! We’ll be following along as you go—and hoping the iPod speakers hold up!
Me too! I have so many great books and podcasts that I am looking forward to listening to, but seawater and electronics are not a happy combination—so let’s all keep hoping for the best!