This year Lia Ditton will attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco. Her success would make her the first woman to row the 5,500 nautical miles solo, and the fourth person to do so alone.
Lia commented: “I am delighted to welcome the London Speaker Bureau as a sponsor of ‘YO! Row Pacific Solo 2017-18’ my world record attempt bid to be the first woman to row the North Pacific Ocean. The higher mission with the expedition is to inspire women and men to pursue their own dream, through an education programme and talks in the global community. The London Speaker Bureaus modus operandi is connecting people and ideas and so as a sponsor they are wonderfully in-line with what I am aiming to achieve.”
Departing from Choshi in Japan, a peninsula 130km due east of Tokyo, in May 2017, Lia will row across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, California. It’s expected to take her between 120 and 180 days to complete her journey. To date, there have been 16 unsuccessful attempts but at 36, Lia has a vast amount of nautical experience, having sailed the equivalent of eight laps of the globe – rowing the Atlantic as part of a pair in 2010 and being the only woman to finish the solo trans-Atlantic sailboat race in 2005 in the process.
London Speaker Bureau is proud to sponsor Lia’s herculean, global feat. We’ll be sharing Lia’s progress throughout the challenge. For more information on her Yo! Row challenge, visit https://rowliarow.com/