She was greeted at the Stabroek stelling by Tourism Minister, Manniram Prashad, members of the Guyana Tourism Authority and the International Rotary Club of Georgetown. Her father, Dan Spotz and brother, Danny were also in Guyana to greet her on her journey’s end. Spotz arrived at the Customs Boat House located behind the Stabroek Market at 12:07pm, after 70 days and about 6 hours on the Atlantic Ocean, crossing approximately 2817 miles during her journey. “The final days of my row were similar to the first ones, with generally calm seas. I’m so glad I extended the journey 400 miles, as a part of me was holding on dearly to the simplicity of the sea,” she said, according to a statement.
Leaving Dakar on the African continent on January 3, Spotz had planned to arrive in Cayenne, French Guiana in early March. Her original estimation for the journey was three months or more, but due to her “determination and focus”, as well as good weather conditions, she had a speedy journey. A week earlier, Spotz made the decision to lengthen her row by 400 miles, and divert from Cayenne to Georgetown so she could reach land unassisted via a safer route.
She conducted the entire row solo with no support boat other than an escort from the Coast Guard for the final four miles into land which provided no assistance, but was there in case of any emergency. Speaking on the final days of her journey, Spotz said: “Although it wasn’t a storm, on Friday there were several forces in opposition: strong winds and a strong current making for some powerful waves as I reached the continental shelf. Waves seemed to spike up unexpectedly with great force. Every moment outside was spent harnessed to the boat and I frequently questioned whether it would capsize. Then on Saturday, my tracker unit had been acting up and took its final farewell when it went up in smoke and I grabbed the fire extinguisher. Thankfully, all the glitches and malfunctions seemed to happen in the final days,” she said.
The journey, which was dedicated to increasing awareness and raising funds for safe clean water and the charity, Blue Planet Run Foundation, is being followed around the globe. As of Spotz’s arrival, her efforts have raised US$70,905 for the charity, which includes a US$5000 matching offer — far more than the initial goal of US$30,000, which would cover the cost of providing a lifetime of clean water for 1000 people (US$30 per person). To extend her fundraising efforts, a new target of US$30 per mile rowed (approximately 2,817 miles) was posted on the RowforWater.com Web site, which has the potential of raising a total US$84,510 for the cause, the statement explained.
“I am so thankful to all of the people who followed my journey and sent me encouraging messages, but especially for their donations and support for safe drinking water, which were inspirations for the row. I am also very grateful for the support of my sponsors, including my title sponsor, GaREAT Sport Complex in Geneva, Ohio, as well as Pentair Water, World Shipping, Kinetico Water Systems, Moen, Weatherguy.com, Germ Guardian, and so many more who helped fund my journey through corporate contributions,” said Spotz.
Since beginning her row in January, her successful social media connections resulted in followers from 135 countries who have become connected through RowforWater.com blog posts, Twitter, Facebook and media updates, the statement said. While here, the Tourism Ministry will ensure that Spotz gets the opportunity to experience the beautiful scenery and cultures that Guyana has to offer, the Government Information Agency said.
“Anyone reading Katie’s blogs over the past 10 weeks would have been forgiven for thinking this was a walk in the park. The way Katie has just carried on with no drama belies that fact that she has done something that is incredibly challenging that very few people have ever achieved before. And, in doing so, she’s set new records of her own,” said Sam Williams, the London-based rower and operations consultant/coach who has been instrumental in Katie’s row.
