American is 735 Miles From Becoming First Woman to Complete Solo Ocean Row.

ATLANTIC OCEAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 1999--

An American woman from Louisville, Ky., is alone in the Atlantic Ocean just 735 miles from completing an amazing odyssey that will make her the first woman to row across an ocean solely under her own power.

Tori Murden, 36, is less than three weeks from arriving the Lesser Antilles in her 23-foot rowboat, the American Pearl. If she completes the row, she becomes the first woman and first American to ever cross an ocean in a rowboat without using wind or sail and without the aid of a motor or escort vessel. She expects to complete the 3000-mile crossing when she lands on the shore of Guadeloupe before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

Last weekend, Murden was elated. "I can hardly believe my good fortune. I am beginning to see more fish," she wrote this past weekend. "And I just saw a bug! The little creature is very far from land, but it is nice to see."

Sunday was idyllic with a perfect sunrise, a swim, a bath and freshly washed clothes. A school of dolphins were welcome dinner guests and perfect subjects for the video camera. But one visitor became a bit friendly, and Murden accidentally dropped her video camera into the blue waters. Her heart sank when "I lost sight of the camera and saw the camera's tether between my feet. I untied the tether when I changed the battery."

By nightfall, Murden was still shaken by the incident. "It is tempting to focus on the end instead of the moment at hand," she lectured herself. "My safety will depend on paying strict attention to the little things. It is my opinion that big mistakes do not kill people in the wilderness, little mistakes do."

The incident is typical of the psychological ups and downs of spending so much time alone at sea. Last year, Murden spent 85 days alone at sea during a west-to-east attempt to row the North Atlantic. The attempt failed after her boat was tossed like a matchstick during two hurricanes in one week. She capsized 15 times in the two days before a daring rescue at sea by a merchant ship. Her 85 days in the North Atlantic set the world record for the most time alone at sea by a woman rower.

If Murden arrives the Lesser Antilles prior to Thanksgiving she breaks another world record. According to Kenneth Crutchlow of the Ocean Rowing Society in London, a landing before Nov. 25 makes Murden's crossing the fastest ever for a solo rower. Briton Sidney Genders, who made the same crossing - from the Canary Islands to the Lesser Antilles in 73-1/3 days - set the current record in 1970. "At her current pace, she will smash the world record by days," Crutchlow said. "Regardless of whether she is the fastest, Murden's accomplishments are truly remarkable, making her one of the most revered people in rowing history."

Murden's east to west solo row began Sept. 13, 1999 when she departed Tenerife, Canary Islands on her self-built, 23-foot custom rowboat, the American Pearl. As of today, she has rowed 2,252 miles in 53 days, averaging 42 miles per day.

This year's row is sponsored by Sector Sport Watches, No Limits(R) Sports & Tech Wear, Fontana Candida Italian Wines and Fifth Third Bank of Louisville. Murden is a member of the Sector No Limits(R) Team, an elite group of international athletes who dare test and transcend the outer limits of human potential.

Murden's progress, message logs and related information is available at www.adept.net/americanpearl.com. Information on Murden, world records and the history of solo rowers is accessed at www.oceanrowing.com.