28 Mar 2005

French rower becomes first woman in solo crossing of Pacific Ocean

8:57 am on 28 March 2005

Maud Fontenoy has become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean after arriving in French Polynesia on the weekend.

The 26-year old Frenchwoman rowed nearly 8,000 kilometres from Peru in a journey that took 73 days.

She was met at the Marquesas island of Hiva Oa by 300 people and was carried ashore by a group of men.