Question: Whatever happened to Angela Madsen, the 53-year-old veteran who set out June 9 to become the first paraplegic to row a boat across the Pacific Ocean — from Santa Cruz, Calif., to Waikiki?
Answer: Madsen was forced to abandon her boat during a rescue about 100 miles off the coast of Los Angeles on June 17.
The water had become too rough to even turn back, Madsen said on her blog Row of Life. Madsen plans to restart her Santa Cruz-to-Waikiki trek next year.
Madsen is a rowing instructor and inspirational speaker who holds six Guinness World Records for such feats as crossing the Indian and Atlantic oceans in her customized rowboat. She holds a bronze medal from the Paralympic Games for adaptive rowing and has four gold medals from international rowing competitions.
After leaving a Santa Cruz harbor June 9, Madsen encountered problems a few days into her estimated 80- to 100-day trek when she discovered her anchors were damaged. In addition, wind and wave conditions were reaching squall-like proportions.
While repairing the anchors, Madsen injured her knee. Fearing danger due to her injury and the worsening weather, Madsen called the Coast Guard for help and had to leave her boat behind.
“I battled gale force winds for five days,” Madsen told the Star-Advertiser last week. “The news was just going to get worse.”
When the crew of a long-line fishing boat found “The Spirit of Orlando” three weeks later, Madsen and her wife, Debra, drove to San Diego to recover it.
Madsen said to her relief the boat, which is adorned with a painted American flag and the portraits of veterans, was only slightly worse for the wear.
“Other than a broken antenna … navigation light and flag staff, the boat looked good,” Madsen said on her blog. “It was a very emotional reunion and I got teary eyed remembering how close a call that really was and how much worse that could have been.”
Madsen said she will soon undergo surgery for her knee, and she needs time to recover before embarking across the Pacific again.
“It has to be next year,” Madsen said. “According to wind and weather models, the models aren’t going to be as accurate, given climate change. It’s hard to figure out a weather window.”
Madsen said she and Debra will be coming to Oahu before the summer’s out — by plane — to get some surfing time in.
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This update was written by Amy Busek. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To …” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
