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Julie, who became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland in 2005, is also a bestselling author, scientist and entrepreneur. Speaking to 1,200 Bonnyville and Cold Lake high school students over two days, Julie shared stories of her travels and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Following a master’s degree in microbiology, Julie became interested in adventuring and travelling. After meeting her husband, adventurer Colin Angus, she began to prepare for long-haul explorations.

On their record-setting trip in 2005, Julie and Colin cycled from Moscow, Russia to Lisbon, Portugal, where they spent two weeks fixing up an ocean rowboat before setting sail for Costa Rica. It took five months to make it to the coast of Limón before getting back on their bikes to cycle to Vancouver.


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A journey that took her across three continents, an ocean and over 23,000 km, Julie’s trek was made all the more difficult by two unexpected and rare Atlantic hurricanes hitting their boat in the middle of the ocean. Through planning, resilience and a desire to succeed, Julie and Colin made it through the challenges and broke records along the way.

Julie has embarked on further adventures, including tracing the history of the olive tree and following ancient Phoenician trading routes. Recently, Julie co-founded Open Ocean Robotics, a company which produces unmanned autonomous boats equipped with sensors and camera to make oceanic observations more accessible.


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