By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
LITTLETON – North Country rower Renee Blacken of Bethlehem has completed her quest to row the Atlantic Ocean covering 3,200 miles in 65 days, two hours and 51 minutes on Monday, according to the website Atlanticdash.com. and https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1258295163080400&set=pb.100066997845027.-2207520000.
This makes her the first American woman to solo, unassisted from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands leaving there Jan. 24 and crossing the ocean to arrive in Antigua in the Canary Islands on March 30.
The 43-year-old Bethlehem resident and mother of a 14-year-old son packed for 90 days and had only an emergency transponder.
Barbara Buckley, executive director of the Littleton Community Center, said there will be a Welcome Home Celebration for her at the center on April 18 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to mark the impressive accomplishment.
“She has inspired a lot of people,” said Buckley who noted she has also raised money for an important cause, surviving trauma https://www.outdooradventuringforgood.org/
She said Blacken has inspired children and the imaginations of many North Country residents who were tracking her journey.
A survivor herself of trauma, her row was to help raise awareness and support.
She said Blacken survived unscathed even after she entered shark infested waters to clean her boat of barnacles. Buckley said she heard that Blacken’s first request when arriving at her finish point was to ask for a bottle of seltzer.
Check her GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-team-foartysomething-row-for-trauma-recovery-programs
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