Former Royal Marine Dave Bell, 54, from Bere Regis, Dorset, has completed a solo row across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, covering 17,500 miles without stepping on land or resupplying. He arrived in Kilifi, south east Kenya, at 12.12pm local time on Friday, 10 months (327 days and 16 hours) after setting off from Callao, Peru, on November 9 last year.
On arrival, Bell said: "I can't wait to have a beer, take the longest shower of my life and sleep in a proper bed." He is believed to be the first man to solo row across two oceans without returning to land, subject to formal verification.
Challenges at Sea
Bell's biggest challenge was stopping rowing for eight weeks while crossing the South Pacific to avoid arriving in the Coral Sea during cyclone season. He said: "I was too quick so I had to slow down. To sit, mid-ocean, knowing you've still got seven, eight, nine months at sea, but not be rowing was one of the hardest things, psychologically, that I've ever had to deal with."
During the journey, he repaired his rudder three times and was forced onto a parachute anchor in the Coral Sea after his boat's electrical systems were damaged in a knockdown. An oar was ripped from the side of the boat, breaking its gate, bending a pin and snapping its safety tether. The loose oar then broke a spare and damaged the boat's daggerboard, while another wave spun the vessel 360 degrees.
Voyage Details
Bell rowed up to 12 hours each day, consuming at least 5,000 calories daily, and managed navigation, power systems, repairs and weather routing. His route took him around northern Australia, via the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the Torres Strait, to East Africa.
He said: "Rowing has only been one of the jobs. I've had to become an electrician, mechanic, navigator, chef and nurse. When you're this far from land, there's nobody else to call. Whatever needs doing, you do it."
Asked about sharks, he said: "Yes, the most enjoyable part was the wildlife encounters I had. I was followed for weeks - one white-tip on one side and one on the other - and I would row for days like that."
Motivation and Support
Bell, who served 20 years in the Royal Marines, conceived the plan after seeing how technological advances helped crews cross established routes faster. He said: "Everyone was getting quicker and quicker and I thought, what happens if you replace speed with distance? How far can you actually go? People told me I could maybe do it, which was like a red rag to a bull. My motivation was always to find out whether it was possible to row two oceans in one go."
He set off on his 230kg vessel, named 'Billy No Mates', carrying 175kg of emergency, communication and repair equipment, 400kg of food (around 4,000 items), a full medical kit, a parachute anchor, and a machine to convert seawater into drinking water. He previously completed a solo unsupported row from New York to Cornwall in 2021.
Bell has raised more than £110,000 for Rock2Recovery, which supports serving military personnel, veterans, emergency service personnel and their families. He credited his partner Georgie Bell with helping him complete the challenge, saying: "I'm the one pulling the oars, but I've not done this alone. Georgie has held the project together from the beginning. I wouldn't have got to Peru without her, never mind Kenya."
He also thanked his team, including weather router Simon Rowell, boatbuilder Mark Slats, Barry Hayes on media, and the expert team at Atacama. Fellow adventurer Jamie Maclean, TV stars Ben Fogle and Jason Fox, and former footballer Graeme Souness sent messages praising his achievement. Fogle described Bell as a "legend" following the "unbelievable, Herculean effort," while Fox said: "He's done. Two oceans on his own. It is incredible. What he's done is insane and it's all for Rock 2 Recovery." Souness added: "Dave, I can't get my head around 15,500 (nautical) miles. Truly, truly incredible. Well done you."
