On April 24, Angela Madsen set off from Marina del Rey, California bound for Hawaii in the 20′ ocean rowing boat, Row of Life. A three-time Paralympian and a Marine veteran, her goal was to be the first paraplegic and at 60, the oldest woman to row the Pacific Ocean alone.

After 60 days alone at sea, rowing 1,114 nautical miles, roughly halfway to Hawaii, Angela Madsen died while attempting to repair a parachute anchor. When she didn’t report in on June 20, Angela’s wife, Debra Madsen and Soraya Simi, a friend who is making a documentary about Angela, contacted the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard plane spotted her in the water, lifeless, and tethered to her boat. Angela’s body was recovered by a German-flagged cargo ship that diverted to her location. 

Angela Madsen knew how to overcome adversity. She suffered a major back injury at 21 and became a paraplegic at 32, following a botched surgery. As reported by the New York Times:

 She lost her job, her partner cleaned out her bank account and left her, and for a time she lived on the streets, sleeping in her wheelchair in front of Disneyland.

But her story did not end there.

A natural athlete, she eventually took up rowing and joined competitions. She started winning gold medals at world rowing championships and competed in the Paralympics. She then set her sights higher: to row the oceans. She conquered the Atlantic (twice) and the Indian Ocean and circumnavigated Britain, all with rowing partners or a team.

In 2013, she attempted her biggest challenge: rowing the Pacific solo, from California to Hawaii. But she got caught in a ferocious storm and had to be rescued. The next year, she made the trip with a partner. But she still yearned to do it alone.

On the website Row of Life, Debra Madsen and Soraya Simi write:

Angela was a warrior, as fierce as they come.  A life forged by unbelievable hardship, she overcame it all and championed the exact path she envisioned for herself since she was a little girl. To row an ocean solo was her biggest goal.  She knew the risks better than any of us and was willing to take those risks because being at sea made her happier than anything else. She told us time and again that if she died trying, that is how she wanted to go.

Here is a short video by Ms. Simi featuring Angela in her own words.

Row of Life: Angela Madsen from Soraya Simi on Vimeo.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.