Partial packing list for rowboat crossing the Pacific
By Associated Press
Jun 7, 2015 5:31 AM CDT
American rower Sonya Baumstein, from Orlando, Fla., rows a boat as she leaves Choshi Marina in Choshi, a port east of Tokyo, headed for San Francisco Sunday, June 7, 2015. Baumstein hopes to finish the 6,000-mile (9,600-kilometer) journey by late September and become the first woman to row solo across...   (Associated Press)

CHOSHI, Japan (AP) — Most of us have enough trouble remembering our train passes and car keys when we set out each day. Florida-born Sonya Baumstein had to pack everything she needed for an up-to-six-month solo journey across the Pacific by rowboat that she began Sunday. Some highlights of her provisions and equipment:

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FOOD

More than 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of food in the form of 900 dehydrated meals, 180 drink supplements — the equivalent of 7,000 to 10,000 calories a day, plus olive oil to help control weight loss. Included: supplements, Kit Kats, plenty of peanut butter.

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WATER

Water, water, everywhere, and with two desalinating machines — one solar-powered and one electric — Baumstein will be generating 30 liters (8 gallons) of water an hour. She is also carrying 60 liters (16 gallons) of spare water, just in case.

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CLOTHING

Packed in 20 water-tight baggies. For temperatures from hot to cold.

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EQUIPMENT

Six oars. Three buckets and a unique system of devices to take seawater samples, measure temperature, depth and wind speed and also the boat's GPS coordinates. An automated identification system will help pinpoint her location. A lifeboat, solar panels, flares and, of course, a life vest. Other safety equipment include a lifeboat and emergency medical supplies such as IVs, which Baumstein has practiced using on herself.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Podcasts, audiobooks, music, as rewards for hard days of rowing, she says.