Determined to make the entire crossing under her own power, Spotz kept rowing to Georgetown, 400 miles to the northwest, where currents are milder.

“I’m just impressed by the way she’s got on and done it,” Williams said. “She’s had such little drama. Most people would be scared out of their minds.”

Spotz had packed enough food to last 110 days: half a million calories’ worth of mostly freeze-dried meals, granola and dried fruit. Her crossing took much less time because she had help from the trade currents, and was fortunate not to face any major weather or technical problems.

Her 19-foot yellow wooden rowboat was broadsided by 20-foot waves as she approached South America. It was a frightening ride, even though the boat was built to withstand hurricanes and 50-foot waves, said Phil Morrison, the British yacht builder who designed it.

Spotz said in a telephone interview after the trip, “I was worried the boat might capsize.”

Early in the trip, Spotz broke the cable that allowed her to steer with her foot as she rowed, forcing her to use a cumbersome hand steering system. A day before landfall, Spotz smelled smoke. Her GPS tracker, which she used to update her position on her blog, was on fire. Spotz extinguished it. Her GPS device for navigation was not affected.