What’s in a Record?
Day 9, odometer 279M, distance from start 228M
Solo career total - 853 days
Overall career total - 937 days
Yesterday evening, I passed 76M west of Spud Point Marina at Bodega Bay. On 10 July in 2007, I launched from that marina taking advantage of a low pressure system which kicked me 70M west to almost where my yellow rowboat is today. Back then, I wanted to reach Australia; today, preferably Hong Kong. Anywhere on mainland Asia will suffice if I am to continue my journey to Everest.
Today, I will take over one of the longest standing records in ocean rowing. Peter Bird was lost at sea in 1996 while he was rowing from Vladivostok in Russia to North America, on day 937 of his career. As I write this, I humbly honor Peter’s memory and all ocean rowers who were lost at sea.
Peter was a pioneer of our sport and used to live in the Russian River valley near San Francisco. His friend, Kenneth Crutchlow, believing that all the rowing that Peter and his contemporaries like John Fairfax were doing had to be better recognized, established the Ocean Rowing Society.
One of the rows that Peter accomplished was across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Australia, stopping at the Great Barrier Reef. When in 2007, I proposed rowing to Australia, Kenneth introduced me to Peter’s circle of friends. Since then I have carried a logo of Peter Bird in his memory on my rowboat. I even had the privilege to row in the 2016 Great Pacific Race with his son, Louis Bird, who at the time of Peter’s loss was just a toddler. During that row, Louis got a chance to understand his father better while we set the course record for the Classic Pairs class of rowboats.
One of the records that Peter held was uninterrupted solo days at sea by 304 days. I raised that to 312 days on my Pacific row when I had to call it done in Papua New Guinea waters. I was on day 312 after a food resupply effort led by Kenneth could not launch because I was pulled out of range by the winds. He had flown from London to Seattle then carted duffle bags full of expedition food (organized by long time friends Peter Ackroyd and Joan Alworth of Seattle) by way of Jakarta to Jayapura where there was not a vessel with the range to reach me. I was 200M away by then. Once I was off the water, Peter’s mother was gracious to send me her congratulations.
Today I matched the commitment of Peter Bird to the sport of ocean rowing. By my count, I had 928 days when I launched a week ago. Today is day 937 including my two person rows.
I also held the records at my launch for solo career days at sea by 844 days and solo total miles covered by rowing. These are advancing every day that I am on this crossing. It is a strange feeling to wake up with new records.
Overall total career miles will need to be confirmed by the Ocean Rowing Society as there are fellow ocean rowers who are just as committed who have not only kept at it over the years, but also organized rows to introduce new rowers to our sport. Ralph Tuijn (Netherlands) and Leven Brown (UK) are such able skippers and worthy mariners. I would go to sea with them anytime.
Tom Lynch who lives in Guerneville, CA was friends with both Kenneth and Peter. He even traveled to Vladivostok to help Peter launch. I am grateful for his friendship as well. At Crescent City, Tom handed me a nice bottle of cognac. I will raise a toast to Ralph, Leven and other fellow rowers on my 60th birthday in a couple weeks. But as is the tradition, the first cap-full will go overboard to honor those still at sea.
So what does it mean to break these records? Firstly I think of it as matching the commitment of those who led the way in our sport. Without spectators, it is only our passion that drives us alone to sea. Secondly, as I have advanced my own numbers, I found myself in the company of other committed and worthy rowers. It is a privilege to be compared to and to be mentioned in the same breath as them.
Erden
PS — The longest non-stop time at sea for a solo rower now stands at 326 days, established by Jacob Adoram who rowed from Neah Bay in Washington State, USA to Cairns, Queensland, Australia in the 2017-2018 season.