The Ocean Rowing Society International (ORSI) has been Guinness World Records' official consultant for ocean rowing since the founding of the Society in 1983. 

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Website - https://info.oceanrowing.com

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As per 2022

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299 women have rowed oceans

169 from the UK

32 from the US

 

 

22 women have rowed solo East to West - Atlantic

 

3 women have rowed solo East to West - Pacific - Sarah Outen (UK), Roz Savage (UK), Lia Ditton (UK), Maud Fontenoy (FR)

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2 women have rowed solo East to West - Indian Ocean - Sarah Outen (UK) 124 days , Roz Savage (UK)  157 days

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Fastest Woman to SOLO row the Atlantic - Victoria Evans (UK) 40 days, 21hrs, 1 min, Atlantic Ocean 2022 - 35 years old.

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1st Woman to row any ocean solo  - Tori Murden  (1999) 81 days - 7 hrs, E-W Atlantic (aged 36 at the time)  -  she crossed the Atlantic Ocean, arriving on the island of Guadeloupe on 3 December 1999, after 81 days 7 hours 31 minutes of rowing from Tenerife, the Canary Islands. During the straight-line 4,770-km (2,965-mile; 2,575-nautical-mile) journey, she faced gusts of wind in excess of 129 km/h (80 mph) and 6.1-m (20-ft) waves in her 7-m (23-ft) boat.

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Youngest women to row the Atlantic Ocean - Jasmine Harrison - 21 (2021) - set off on 12th December 2020 and completed the gargantuan challenge in 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes, finishing on 20th February 2021.

 

The oldest woman to row an ocean as part of a team is Sara Brewer (UK, b. 12 January 1956), who was 63 years 334 days at the start of her row from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua on 12 December 2019, with her 35-year-old "Row Off The Wall" rowing partner Ann Prestidge. 

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Jan Meek (UK) who holds the record for first mother and son to row any ocean

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Kelda Wood (UK) - 1st Adaptive Athlete to row the Atlantic Ocean (2019) - 76 days

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Diana Hoff (UK) - 1st UK Woman to row E-W Atlantic Ocean - 1999 - 2000 - 113 days (set off at the same time as Tori Murden)

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Roz Savage (UK) - Longest Ocean Row, 1st Female to row the Pacific Ocean in 3 stages, most days at sea, 1st female to row 3 different oceans.

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Sarah Outen (UK, b. 26 May 1985) became the first woman to row the Indian Ocean solo (2009), and the youngest person to row the Indian.

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Sarah Outen (UK) was both the first woman and the first person to row Mid-Pacfic west to east. from Choshi, Japan, to off Adak, Alaska, USA. The journey took 149 days 13 hr 1 min between 27 April and 23 September 2013 and covered a distance 'as the crow flies' of 2,356 miles (3,792 km; 2,048 nautical miles). Winds and currents started pushing Sarah on to the rocks as she was approaching Alaska, so she was towed from 51:40:52N 176:35:22W, just off Adak Island, to the harbour. Guiness World Record INFO.

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Sally Kettle (UK)- first woman to row the Atlantic Ocean twice from East to West, and once with her mother! https://www.sallykettle.com

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Qualification needed to row an ocean

 

It is recommended that all rowers, regardless of crew size have the following training as a minimum:

 

RYA First Aid at Sea

RYA Sea Survival

RYA Essential Seamanship and Navigation

VHF/SRC Radio License

For those entering the Atlantic Challenge organized by Atlantic Campaigns, a bespoke Ocean Rowing Course is mandatory. This is recognized by the Spanish Authorities as a safety essential along with the RYA courses and is a pre-requisite for rowers leaving from Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro.  Other events may also have specific requirements to meet safety requirements and ensure port authorities allow clearance

 

Where can you get these qualifications - UK

 

'Aurora Sea School'  - Burnham-on-Crouch  Dawn@RowAurora.co.uk

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Sea Sports - https://www.seasports-sw.com/ocean-rowing  - A Residential Shore-based training for ocean rowers (6 days) including RYA Sea Survival, RYA First aid, Marine SRC (VHF) certificate, RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship skills.

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Chieftain Training - https://chieftain.training/

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Podcasts

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The Ocean Rowing Club Podcast - Hosted by Alex Mason - Listen on Spotify  and follow on Facebook @theoceanrowingclub

The Ocean Rowing Podcast - Hosted by Amanda Painter - Episodes are a mix of interviews and Amanda talking about her current situation and thoughts in regards to her plan to row across the Atlantic. 

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Facebook Groups 

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Oarsome Women of Ocean Rowing  - Have you rowed an ocean, are planning to row an ocean or are you just mulling over the idea (imagining the perfect storm, shark attacks & drowning at sea?) Are you a women? Oarsome, then this group is for you! 

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This really is an opportunity to share experiences, and tell the stories that we don’t often hear. Also, it’s to remember that we all stand on the shoulders of giants.... women who have made their mark in the male dominated world of ocean rowing and adventure. Let’s celebrate each other’s achievements, offer support and ask the inevitable questions ... “Are daggerboards really that useful?”, “How do we calculate much ballast should we use?”, “Is it anti-feminist to paint the boat pink?!”

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Companies

 

Atlantic Dash - https://www.atlanticdash.com/

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Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (+ will be offering Pacific Ocean Rowing in 2023) https://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com

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The Great Pacific Race - San Francisco to Hawaii  https://greatpacificrace.com

 

Rannoch Adventure has been building BESPOKE ocean rowing boats, catamarans, pedalos, kite boats, paddleboards for over 10 years. https://www.rannochadventure.com