Sylvia Cook

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John Fairfax and Sylvia Cook in 1968

Sylvia Cook is a British ocean rower and adventurer who, on 22 April 1972, became the first person to row the Pacific Ocean, in tandem with John Fairfax.[1] With this accomplishment she became the first woman to row any ocean.[2] The journey took 363 days at sea from San Francisco to Australia.

Early life

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Cook was born to a middle-class family, the daughter of a teacher and a secretary.[3]

Pacific crossing

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External audio
audio icon Sylvia Cook, 12:42, Avaunt podcast[4]
audio icon John Fairfax and Sylvia Cook, 43:05, WNYC[5]

Cook and John Fairfax started rowing for their cross-Pacific journey in San Francisco on 26 April 1971 in a specially designed tandem row boat called Britannia II, a self-bailing, self uprighting vessel, designed by Uffa Fox.[2]

Later life

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Cook works for B&Q in Surrey, UK, where most of her co-workers had no idea she had rowed across the Pacific Ocean.[3]

References

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