Please follow Twitter for the latest updates following Katie’s arrival into Georgetown (official arrival time 1607GMT). Katie is currently having a well-earned rest, but rest assured we will continue updating the blog and add photos when we get our hands on them. If anyone has any footage or photographs from Katie’s arrival, please email them to sam@pedallingalltheway.com.
Finally, thanks to everyone who helped out with Katie’s arrival into Guyana and provided her with a fantastic welcome, and to all of you following her progress throughout today and the last few months. Special thanks also to @demwaves, who provided most of the live photos throughout the day.
1620GMT — SHE’S FINISHED!!! Thanks to your fantastic donations and smashing the last $60,000 fundraising target, we’ve had to set one more new one! The new goal of $84,510 works out as $30 (i.e. clean drinking water for life for one person) for every one of the 2,817 miles from Dakar, Senegal to Georgetown, Guyana, the route that Katie has just rowed. Click here to donate.
[In case you're concerned, the water isn't brown because it's dirty — it's all the silt brought down the river.]
1612GMT — Guyana flag buntings welcome Katie into Georgetown. [via @demwaves]
1606GMT — “Katie Spotz’ brother and father on Guyana Coast Guard escort vessel. Slight foot pain but her brother says ‘she is fine’” [via @demwaves]
1544GMT — “Katie Spotz moving slowly into port Georgetown due to tidal conditions. Demerara river visibly calm but current appears to slowing her down to dock. Still under Guyana Coast Guard escort with media crew aboard.” [via @demwaves]
1528GMT — Katie passes penultimate navigational beacon into Georgetown [via @demwaves]
1508GMT — The welcoming party can see Katie. Only minutes to go!
1442GMT — First photos of Katie approaching land [Thanks to @demwaves for the photos]
1440GMT — Pictures of Katie’s welcoming party waiting in anticipation.
1405GMT — Guyana prepares to welcome Katie to Georgetown, as she is tracked by the Coast Guard boat and a helicopter.
1337GMT — The Coast Guard have spotted Katie; she has 4 miles left to row and the tide has just turned, helping her in.
1247GMT — The Guyana Coast Guard leave Georgetown to find Katie and escort her through the final few miles
{ 71 comments }
Day 71 . . .300 extra miles. . . .and finishing in under the predictable time- ya whoooo!!!! What a journey . . . can’t wait to see the arrival pictures. . .
Welcome home, Katie! We have followed your progress 5-10 times each day since Jan 3. We are glad you are safe – we think your spirit is terrific!
CONGRATULATIONS KATIE!!! YOU LIVED THE DREAM!!! (vids and pics please, when they are available, and after you are rested and fed well of course!)
Katie! Agnes and I have followed your progress 5-10 times daily since Jan 3. You are a terrific spirit! Welcome back home. Now! for a burger and a beer! Right?
It is hard to believe that your journey and adventure will soon be over. I hope someone has some watermelon for you to eat once you land. I remember you blogging one time that you would like some!!! Safe landing. YOU DID IT!!!
WOW!
Welcome back on land, Katie! You are amazing and such an inspiration. Congratulations!
Congrats Katie! U did it! So proud of u! Welcome home (almost) – glad u r safe!
Good job Katie! I don’t know if I”ll make it until you actually hit land (it’s 10:57pm here in Korea) but I’ll check for update first thing in the morning! So glad you made it safely and were able to row the whole way in. Can you give us a status on Hobs?
Great job Katie!!! You did it! I have goosebumps as I type this! So glad you are going to be on land soon.
Congratulations Katie. I have followed your journey quietly over the last 2.5 months. Suggestion–install a Paypal button on your donations page–this may help your cause. You are an inspiration. I think that whatever life throws at you in the future will be a piece of cake. Greg
YEAH! Katie! I will miss following your journey – you have inspired me to start using a rowing machine! Many congratulations, and now have some wonderful time with your family and friends. But if you do something else like this – let us all know.
Congrats! From being totally alone to a welcoming party; what a change!
Thank you Sam for keeping us updated; you have done and are doing a magnificent job. This is so excited. I couldn’t wait to turn on my computer this morning and see where Katie is. Congratulations again Katie. You haved many fans throughout the world who you don’t know but who have watched your progress faithfully. Welcome back to the land of earthlings and firma soila!!!!!
It’s been a great joy for my wife to watch the progress of Katie over the months because she’s been house-bound with a broken leg. Now especially it’s exciting at the landing time.
WELCOME HOME, Katie ! (or at least, welcome back to land!)
We are so proud of you and THANK YOU for keeping us posted every step of the way ! Looking forward to seeing you soon !
Michelle
Congrats Katie! So proud of you! Hope you’ll have a wonderful time on land being able to walk around, eating “proper” food and enjoying the company of your loved ones. I’m really really happy for you, girl. xoxo
YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS KATIE!!!
It’s the day we have been waiting for.
All the prayers were heard for a safe trip and return
U guys can rest assure that her watermelon is nice and chilled and waiting for her to grab a bite. The guyanese delegation are very excited for her arrival
Congratulations Katie!
I have been following you since day one. I am so happy and excited for you; you are quite a force to be reckoned with.
May God Bless you Always!
John Wiertel
Aka – Mentor John
Aw, YAAAAAAAY, KATIE! You did it!!! WOW!
Yaaaaaaay for clean drinking water!
Yaaaaaaay for me! (my hearts too weak for all this waiting edge-of-your-seat stuff)
Katie… I had complete faith in you all along! (actually, wasn’t so sure there for a second or two :-\
Come on over here girl and give us a big hug! Dag girl, not so hard! Wow, you gotta stop with the bicep workout thing. And yowza… Those hands! Better soak them babies in some liniment! Sheesh…
Oh, and just between us… *whispers to Katie* Irregular baths in the ocean just ain’t doing it for you, pheeeeewyyyyyyy!
But YAAAAAAAY, WAHOOOOO, you did it! I’m soooooooo, so proud and happy for you!!!
I expect we faithful supporters *points thumb to self* get a signed copy of the first run of your manuscript! Hmmm… You are writing a book, eh?
Now, lets all show Katie that we learned from her… How to meditate!
~*~ OOOOOHMMMMM… ROOOOOOOOW… OOOOOHMMMMM… ~*~
Very Good… Now…
*chants with fervor*
Who’s put Mentor on the map? Katie did! Katie did!
Who’s that ocean rowing kid? Katie is! Katie is!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY K A T I E!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY K A T I E!
HU-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY K A T I E!
(aside)
Anyone want to buy a lightly battered (read burnt and smelly) ocean rowboat? Cheap! Lysol included…
Ahem, Mr. Twitter (Sam)… Ya wanna take another go?
———
Row… Liv… Love…
Mike D
P.S. I already miss yous guys :*( Yeah, you too Katie!
P.P.S *reads between the lines* R.I.P. Hobs
Yippie!!!!! Pictures of you getting closer. . . .
Katie is visible to the welcoming team. Minutes to goi. Row katie row!!
your achievement gives us goosebumps. We have followed you all the way and we feel a huge sense of relief and admiration for what you have achieved. Land ahoy
TIME TO CELEBRATE
CONGRATULATIONS KATIE!!
I have goosebumps knowing that you are just minutes from seeing your family and your welcoming party. ENJOY each and every minute. You are AWESOME and thanks for the ride!!!
Very impressive young lady. All fathers breath a sigh of relief today. especially yours!
Whooo Hooo Huge congratulations Katie it is a marvelous thing that you have done sweet girl. Love the photo of the water melon awaiting you – brilliant. Enjoy the reunion with your family, good fresh food, a lovely shower etc etc.
Lots of love (and huge respect) from me pet xxx
Paulineb
Perth
Western Australia
@ Mike D…love it, just love it, you did it again….lol
Great job Katie!
Very exciting day!
Mike D.
You are the best!
I love reading your posts!
Sam thanks for all you have done for Katie. . .and Liv sure did one heck of a job with Katie’s safetly too. . . . . .and the final posts have been wonderful .. . .can’t leave the computer until we know she is truly safe and properly welcomed. . . .the watermelon awaits. . . .hopefully a good shower, back rub and some rest. . . . Katie – enjoy the moment. . . .surrounded by so many who have been following you every row of the way. . . .you can be proud of what you have done. . . .as well as your family. . . .we await further posts of what was going trough your mind with the final approach – WELCOME HOME!
Awesome, Awesome Awesome!
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.
Congratulations to you, and to all who will now benefit from the Clean Water your journey will provide, We Give Thanks.
Gloria Ives, Philadelphia, PA
I see “captain danny”
BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!!
I woke my six-year-old daughter, Aine, to tell her you were landing this morning. She flew out of bed so she wouldn’t “Miss something so incredible!” We have been following you since before your departure and you have been quite an inspiration to our whole family, but especially Aine. Today she wants to “Go for a run, ride my bike, then go for another run.” She will be doing a sponsored “row” across the lake at Oak Mountain State Park (with my assistance) this week for your cause. Thanks for being a positive role model for healthy living and compassion for others. Aine says, “Katie, you are so brave to go across the sea that long!”
Congratulations Katie!!! What an amazing journey… thank you for sharing it with us, and hope to see you once you get back stateside! Amazing! You need to write a book using Pages on your MacBook
Hip hip hurray for Katie! I’m overwhelmed with joy and got completely misty-eyed…
GREAT JOB KATIE !!!!
Welcome Back! You are an inspiration!
Congratulations Katie!
We are so glad you have finally finished.
Our prayers have been answered and we are very proud of you.
You are incredible!
NICE JOB KATIE. HOPE TO C U SOON!
You go Katie! Good on you and the cause you rowed for!
YEAH!! You did it!!! What an awsome journey we shared with you and what an inspiration you have been to all of us!!! I’m so happy that you reached land and have the deserving welcome of your family and everybody that admires and love so much! Now is time to enjoy the results of all your efforts and be proud of yourself…. because we all are very proud of you!! May God bless you always!
Congratulations on a fantastic voyage and accomplishment. Welcome back to land. Now you should be doing some talk shows so we can hear more detail about everything. Have a safe back trip to Mentor also.
Sam,Good job relaying info too.
Congratulations to you Katie!
CONGRATULATIONS Katie! A true inspiration!
Yeaaaa. Congrats Katie! Your dad looks so proud of you… as are so many other people… that you have inspired to do more extraordinary things with their own lives.
Michael Levy
Denver, CO
Congradulations Katie,
I have to admit I myself was skeptical at first when you first told me your plan to row the atlantic. You just accomplished something not many people can fathom in a lifetime and no one will ever be able to take that away from you. That is truly awesome. I will look forward to catching up with you when your done getting famous. Beers on me
Your cousin,
Bobby
The land legs will all come back to you shortly but for now enjoy the fruits of your labor having completed this adventure solo while providing clean drinking water to those in need.
Indulge in some fresh food a nice bath and sweet dreams as visions of the next adventure journey through your mind knowing anything is possible when you put your <3 into it!
Blessings ~*~
Congratulations Katie. Welcome to dry land. What an accomplishment. We look forward to seeing you back home.
Sincerest congratulations to you Katie,
honoring the achievement exercised lately.
Recognizing your heart’s as big as your boat,
With which over the Atlantic you did float.
To ROW FOR WATER, no personal gain,
With tears of joy we celebrate your name.
Well wishing – as you navigate to share,
results, this mission communities will bear.
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