An American woman who attempted to cross the Pacific by rowboat has ended her solo attempt because of bad weather.

Sonya Baumstein, 30, from Orlando, Florida was rescued off the Japanese coast on Saturday after sending out a distress signal, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.

Baumstein departed from Choshi, Japan, one week ago, hoping to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific.

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Record attempt: Sonya Baumstein, 30, from Orlando, Florida was rescued off the Japanese coast on Saturday after sending out a distress signal, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday

Setting sail: Baumstein, is seen here as she leaves Choshi Marina in Choshi, a port east of Tokyo, headed for San Francisco Sunday, June 7, 2015

Finish line: Baumstein hoped to finish the 6,000-mile (9,600-kilometer) journey by late September and become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific in the 23-foot (7-meter) -long vessel

She was headed for San Francisco but sent out the signal on Saturday around 2:20 p.m. about 250 kilometers (155 miles) off the coast of Japan.

A freighter traveling nearby rescued her at around 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) Saturday and passed her on to a coast guard ship around 8:55 p.m. (1155 GMT), the Japanese coast guard said.

Baumstein was hoping to finish the 6,000-mile (9,600-kilometer) journey by late September.

With a few last-minute adjustments to her supplies and a brief call to her parents, she rowed out of the marina on June 7.

She even shared a picture of the clothes she'd packed ahead of the journey on her Facebook page.

Only three other rowboats have made the journey, and no woman has ever done it alone, so If her attempt had gone to plan, it would have been record-breaking.

Supplies: Baumstein shared a picture of the clothes she packed ahead of the journey on her Facebook page

Baumstein has already rowed the Atlantic to the Caribbean and says the best part of being on the ocean for weeks at a time is being able to look at the stars. But the worst thing is being wet all the time.

Meanwhile, a weather router in the US helped her keep tabs on conditions.

Her rowboat, the 'Icha,' short for an Okinawan phrase meaning 'once we meet we're family,' is a lime-green, 23-foot-long vessel that weighs less than 660 pounds. It has no motor or sail.

Route: Despite 16 attempts to row solo across the Pacific, only two men have successfully completed the journey

Rescue: A freighter traveling nearby rescued her at around 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) Saturday and passed her on to a coast guard ship around 8:55 p.m. (1155 GMT), the Japanese coast guard said

The adventurer, who has a long history of being on the sea, rowed competitively in high school and at the University of Wisconsin, but was sidelined by a bad car accident.

After recovering, she joined three men in rowing the mid-Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Barbados in January 2012.

She has kayaked from Washington state to Alaska, stand-up paddle-boarded across the Bering Strait and bicycled 1,800 miles from the Mexican border to Seattle.

She likened the Pacific challenge to 'climbing K-12 without oxygen'.