English rower Elsa Hammond was supposed to be rowing to Hawai’i, but she's rowing towards Mexico.

After more than a month of battling gigantic waves, mighty winds and nights alone in the darkness of a vast ocean, the 29 year old has been forced to drop out of the Great Pacific Race.

The British student, who was hoping to become the fastest and youngest woman to row 4000km across the Pacific, lasted longer than two male solo rowers — including one who had to be rescued — and a woman who could not get her ocean row boat ready in time.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, and have decided, with advice, that the most sensible decision is to alter course for a different destination,” Hammond wrote in a blog post.

Of the 13 boats that assembled in Monterey for the Great Pacific Race competition, seven remain on course for Hawai’i.

The race officially began on June 9, but several boats were delayed because of packing or technical issues.

Hammond, of Bristol, England, is now coordinating with race organisers to make landfall in Mexico.

Race Director Chris Martin said in a statement he was sad to hear she dropped out but commended her dedication.

Pacific Warriors, a four-person team currently in fourth place, released a statement giving Hammond “mad respect.”

On Wednesday, the four-man Team Uniting Nations was firmly in the lead, roughly 560 kilometres miles from Honolulu.

About 380km behind them is the four-man Battleborn team.

Of the pair of two-person teams left, the Fat Chance team was in the lead, about 1900km from Hawaii.

According to a race report filed last Tuesday, rowers at the back of the fleet were enjoying temperatures in the 60s during the day.

Those near the front were in temperatures near the 70s but faced scattered rain storms.

Hammond will have rowed nearly 1600km by the time she ends her journey.

She was about 500km west of Baja California on last Wednesday afternoon.

In her blog post she said she was advised if she had kept heading toward Hawai’i at her current position there was a strong chance she would hit volatile weather.

“There are many risks involved in ocean rowing, and I started in the full knowledge of these, but the balance is now tipping to those risks becoming too great,”she said.

I would rather alter course to a new route and make land under my own power now, than run the increasing risk of needing to be airlifted out later and putting my and others’ lives in danger.

The Great Pacific Race plans to return to Monterey in 2016. Two single rowers, a pair and a four-person boat have already signed up.