Extra pantyhose can come in handy when you're bobbing in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. A packed crowd at the Squamish Public Library soon learned how when adventurer and author Julie Angus presented her book Rowboat in a Hurricane through readings, slides and video on Monday (Oct. 20).In 2005, Angus became the first woman to cross the complete Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat. She and now-husband Colin Angus traveled about 10,000 kilometres over 145 days while experiencing two hurricanes and two tropical storms. They quickly learned to make due with the supplies onboard in order to keep their heads. And thus the pantyhose helmet was born."The most important thing is to be self reliant," Angus told about 60 spectators. "Whatever happens out there you have to deal with it. There is no support boat."However, the pair's $30,000 rowboat was well equipped with solar panels to run things like the desalinator, GPS unit, camera equipment and stereo. It also had emergency water and five months worth of food. The desalinator alone ran about two hours every day to make 10 litres of drinkable water. The boat had a cramped cabin and looked very patriotic with the Canadian flag painted on port and starboard.Adequate preparations were vital. In September 2005, the pair departed from Lisbon, Portugal - Colin set on completing the final stages of the first self-propelled global circumnavigation and Angus targeting a record of her own.With preparations behind them, the first days on the water proved to be some of the hardest as land gradually disappeared and sea sickness ensued, she said."It's an incredible feeling rowing away from land knowing that the next time you step ashore you'll have had rowed across the Atlantic Ocean," she said. "Suddenly you're rowing and it's beautiful and you're excited and you row for two hours and the swell of the ocean lifts your boat and lowers it and then you feel awful. The sea sickness starts to set in and you're thinking 'what am I doing?'"The nausea eventually wore off but greater unrest lay ahead in the form of Hurricane Vince - the most northeastern hurricane in history was forming about 600 kilometres away, she said. Each rowed about eight hours per day when the weather was calm. When the one was rowing the other would prepare food, swim, gather camera footage and study the many creatures that were attracted to the boat - including many mahi-mahi, which became a staple to their diets.When they finally reached land in Costa Rica, the pair of ocean dwellers had to learn how to walk again. Leg muscles were atrophied from lack of use, she said, and the solid ground was anything but stable."We spent the first few days stumbling around looking like we'd had too many martinis," she said.For Angus's full exciting story read her recently release book. It is available in book stores and on order at the Squamish Public Library.
