Quebec rower Mylene Paquette has been named personality of the year by Radio Canada and Quebec’s most prestigious newspaper, La Presse.
When Paquette, 35, landed in France in November, she became the first North American woman to row solo across the North Atlantic and the first North American woman to row solo across the Atlantic, from west to east.
The voyage in a specially designed 7.3 metre boat was powered only by Paquette and the currents. It took 129 days and covered 2,700 nautical miles, or 5,000 kilometres. Her boat capsized 10 times.
She capsized twice during tropical storm Humberto that generated eight-metre waves, and she needed to have supplies floated out to her during a chance meeting with the world’s largest ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2.
The crew donated food and supplies, including a new satellite phone and two anchors.
Paquette says said the main objective of her journey was to raise awareness about the fragility of the ocean’s ecosystems.
Her coach, former Olympic canoeist Maxime Boilard, said Paquette’s determination was key to her success. “There’s something in her that needs to go to the extreme,” he said.
“Deep down, I think, we’re all crossing something. So the symbolism of Mylene’s adventure, it resonates with so many people,” Boilard said.
Paquette had previously crossed the Atlantic, travelling from Barbados to Morocco, as part of a six-person crew in 2010.
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