Sue Stockdale talks to Mick Dawson about his epic adventure to row across the Pacific Ocean, and how he overcame numerous challenges. These include a failed attempt when a freak wave capsized his boat after 109 days at sea, how he avoided being crushed by container ships, and a night facing sea serpents.

Mick Dawson is a former Royal Marine, a professional sailor, author, motivational speaker and one of the most experienced and successful Ocean Rowers in the world. He has undertaken a total of six ocean rows in the last two decades. Two across the Atlantic Ocean and four across the Pacific, rowing in total, more than 22,000 nautical miles.

Most notably he became the first person to successfully row across the North Pacific; from Japan to The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, during an epic voyage with his friend and rowing partner Chris Martin. It would take the intrepid pair 189 days 10 hours and 55 minutes to complete their non-stop record-breaking voyage; Rowing almost 7,000 miles to complete one of the world’s last great firsts and earning them a place in the Guinness Book of World records. Their remarkable feat is yet to be repeated.

More recently Mick was part of another remarkable world first; Rowing 3000 miles from California to Hawaii with Steve Sparkes, who is blind, having lost his sight during his military service. When he and Mick stepped ashore in Hawaii, 82 days after their departure, Steve became the first blind person ever to row the Pacific Ocean.

Find out more about Mick Dawson:

Website: https://www.189days.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mick-dawson-b503a172/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/189days
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MickDawson189
Books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mick-Dawson/e/B077MVXDX2?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1630941703&sr=8-1
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Key Quotes:

‘I think for me it started as a young child and I saw things that piqued my curiosity -principally things to do with the sea.’

‘I’d lost communications because my satellite had broken about day 12 on that trip. I'd been at sea for 109 days when I capsized’.

‘The first thing you've got to do when you look into any great ambition is you've got to take responsibility’.

‘When things go wrong, it's your responsibility to find a way to get back on track’.

‘People would say - how can we help? And I like that, it sums up that ethos between mariners that bonds complete strangers together’.

‘It's an amazing stretch of ocean where few people go, and I thought that it was my opportunity to paint the world with bright colours’.

‘It was two hours on, two hours off - 24 hours a day for the six months out there’.

‘You are seldom beaten by the challenge in front of you. You're invariably beaten by your approach to that challenge’.

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Sound Editor: Matias de Ezcurra (he/him)

Producer: Sue Stockdale (she/her)