Woman to row 6,000 miles from Japan to SF solo

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015
In mid-April, Sonya Baumstein plans to row all the way from Japan to the Bay Area in under 131 days, clocking 6,000 miles in the process.
In mid-April, Sonya Baumstein plans to row all the way from Japan to the Bay Area in under 131 days, clocking 6,000 miles in the process.
KGO

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- One woman will soon attempt to row a boat thousands of miles across the Pacific to San Francisco -- by herself.

In mid-April, Sonya Baumstein plans to row all the way from Japan to the Bay Area in under 131 days, clocking 6,000 miles in the process.

She plans to gather data never before taken about climate change and its impact on our water.

"I want this to not just be a crossing for the sake of a crossing. I want it to be something that informs," Baumstein said. "The Earth is 71 percent water. Most of our systems are driven by ocean changes."

The instrument she'll carry will measure the salinity and temperature at the ocean's surface.

She plans to row three hours on, three hours off.

If she finishes, she'll be the first woman to row across the Pacific and the first American to do so.