Rowing the world to raise climate change issues

Linda Uan

October 2009 Issue

 

On Sunday 6 September, lone UK woman ocean rower, Roz Savage, arrived at the port of Betio, in Tarawa, Kiribati
This marked the completion of an epic 3,000-mile journey from Hawaii, covering a period of 104 days of being all alone, rowing single-handed against the might of the Pacific.
“The Pacific is such a very, very big ocean,” Savage commented on landing. “You really become very aware of this when you row across it, one stroke at a time.”
This is the second of three Pacific stages as she rows from San Francisco to Australia to highlight to the world the major dilemmas faced by low-lying islands states with rising sea levels and climate change.
“This is a perfect destination for me because here, we have the people who will be among those most affected.”
Several years ago, Savage was the sole woman rower in a race across the Atlantic, and last year she completed an eventful and sometimes dangerous journey from San Francisco to Hawaii
Her safe landfall in Kiribati was preceded by children throwing flowers of peace in the water and she was carried ashore by two male dancers. 
The traditional welcome included garlanding,  ”moimoto”—young coconut milk—dance, song and a speech from an unimwaane—elder—welcoming her on behalf of the people of Tarawa, and all the islands of Kiribati.
“We are so proud of you,” he said, “coming all this way to us with 10,000 strokes per day. You may seem to be a small woman, but you have the determination and spirit equal to that of any man.”
Originally, she had intended to land in Tuvalu, but the winds and currents had very different ideas. 
One elder commented that perhaps the strength of “tabunea”—traditional local magic—may have had something to do with the change of destination . 
Challenging: Savage observed that “navigationally there were some very tricky winds and currents around the equator. 
There was also the psychological challenge of spending all that time alone on a tiny rowboat.
“Trying to find such a tiny island as Tarawa was also challenging, but I’m just so happy to be here, to have my feet back on dry land, surrounded by so many big smiles.”
In this journey, Savage was following in the path of our Pacific ancestors who undertook similar lengthy ocean voyages—our i-Kiribati forefathers and mothers readily travelled the great distances between Savai’i in Samoa and our southern islands. 
It has been recorded that they were able to “read” the oceans just as the indigenous people of Australia could read the land—the pattern of the waves and currents told much, and in certain areas different ocean currents had a very distinctive smell.
While she may not have had the traditional knowledge which safeguarded and guided our forefathers, this was partly compensated for with such modern technological aids as a GPS location system, a satellite telephone and solar power to run the equipment.
She was also able to update her blogsite at regular intervals along the way with comments and observations for her many followers around the world.
However, modern aids are not always reliable—her solar powered desalinisation plant ceased to function and she had to rely on the boat’s bilge water for her drinking requirements.
Local expat mariner John Thurston, himself an experienced ocean traveller, commented: “She’s a very gutsy lady—at least I could rely on sail power or my engines when things got tough with strong seas and wildly shifting currents—all she had were two oars and her own personal strength.   

FACT BOX Roz Savage arrived in Tarawa after rowing solo over 3,000 miles in 104 days from Honolulu, Hawaii. This is the second stage of her attempt to be the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She rowed from San Francisco to Honolulu in 2008 and will row to Australia from Tarawa in 2010.

“And that kind of strength isn’t just physical—it’s also about determination and the will to keep going, even though you’re all alone with no-one to share the burden. When you think about all this, it’s really a magnificent achievement.”
Savage will take a break for a few months before continuing her voyage to Australia.
During this time, she will attend the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen to help press the case for threatened nations and the need for a fundamental change in world thinking.
The message Savage is carrying gives heart to those of us in such countries as Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Marshalls and other small islands of Micronesia.
Unlike our larger Pacific cousins, we have no high ground to run to, we have no mountains—we don’t even have small hills. We are left thinking about the future for our children and grandchildren. How can our culture and heritage survive in a foreign land? And what of our sacred sites, the burial grounds of those who have gone before us?
In the regional context, our voice is muted as the political and electoral priorities of larger countries set the agenda we are expected to follow, an agenda which sometimes seems compromised by the lobbying power of vested industrial interests. 
Climate Change is not just an economic issue—it is also a very human issue—about the way we regard and treat each other.
The arrival of somebody like Savage—a designated UN Climate Hero—gives us heart that somebody is listening—somebody does care.
As people of the Pacific, we thank Savage for your determination, your sacrifice and your great example to us all. 
E na iririana am borau n tainako te Mauri, te Raoi ao te Tabomoa—may your special voyage always bring you good health,  peace and prosperity.

• Linda Uan is the producer for the Tarawa-based NTNK Video.