Solo Pacific Row

John set off from San Fransisco expecting to compete the journey in 130 to 140 days. In the end his 208 day odyssey would see him battle with the strongest El Nino condition in a decade. Re-rowing 500km of ground already covered and battling tropical storms and rotating currents 100’s km across. 6100 nautical miles as the crow flies, he would have to row 7482nm before stepping ashore in Cairns.

He set out on the journey after completing a crossing of the Atlantic in 2011. John rowed the Classic Route from the Canaries to Barbados. A 53 day journey, the 2nd fastest on record at the time. Having never been to sea before his Atlantic crossing he developed an affinity with the ocean. An affinity he felt needed to be explored more.

The Pacific crossing was the realisation of that ambition. An attempt to become the first person in history to row from North America to Australia, land to land, solo, unassisted and non-stop. He would achieve all but the unassisted claim due to having to resupply north of Vanuatu before running completely out of rations. Despite the resupply he arrived in Cairn’s weighing barely 130lbs when he stepped off the boat. The final 14 days racing an oncoming cyclone draining the last of his reserves.

Peter Bird, a famous ocean rower who eventually would lose his life at sea is the only other person to have come close. In the late 1980’s, his 2nd valiant attempt came to an end when he was rescued by the Australian Navy in the Coral sea after 294 days at afloat.