I first wrote about the Mars Ocean Odyssey project way back in July of 2007, when skipper Reid Stowe and his first mate Soanya Ahmad were already 74 days into their journey. The plan at that time was to stay at sea for 1000 days straight, never docking, staying completely away from land, and remaining self sufficient the entire time. Tomorrow, Reid will achieve his goal, but that doesn't mean he's coming home.
January 16, 2010 will mark Stowe's 1000th day at sea without resupply or touching land. Soanya was forced to leave the ship after 305 days at sea due to what at the time was described as debilitating sea sickness. We later learned that she was pregnant, and later gave birth to a son who was conceived at sea. Reid continued on alone, undaunted, with a clear goal in sight. Remain at sea for 1000 days as a demonstration of the potential for making a journey to Mars one day. In the process, Reid has set a record for the longest solo sea expedition ever.
Despite the fact that his major milestone will be reached tomorrow, Reid isn't quite ready to return to shore just yet. The plan is to sail into New York harbor, but the weather conditions are not great for that in January. So, he's elected to remain at sea until June, when the calmer summer winds and warmer waters will make it easier. Reportedly he has plenty of food and the boat is in fine condition, so he's just going to keep sailing for now.
This is a pretty amazing story. Self sufficient on the high seas for 1000 days, and now well beyond that, is really cool. Check out this story over at ExWeb for more information on Reid's voyage.
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