THE PLAN
JAPAN TO USA | 5,082 MILES | 150 DAYS
World Record holder and former Royal Engineer, Charlie Martell, will take on the challenge to be the first person to solo row the largest water mass on the planet and become the first person to row land-to-land across the North Pacific.
Husband, father, and a Guinness World Record holder; Charlie Martell is no stranger to a challenge, having rowed the Atlantic and trekked to the North Pole and whose active service in Iraq, Bosnia and Northern Ireland led to a post-Army career in the humanitarian sector where he specializes in clearing explosive hazards.
Charlie first attempted this Pacific challenge in 2012 before encountering the destructive forces of Typhoon Mawar and having to cut the journey short;
“It’s testament to the design and rigorous build of Blossom that she survived the storm in 2012. The bulkhead was damaged after a pitch-pole capsize and we’ve had to strengthen the aft cabin where I sleep and seek refuge. The Pacific is not an easy ocean and 2019 will not be an easy trip, but now we’re ready to try again.”
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
On the 23rd of May 2019, Charlie set sail from Japan. After several weeks waiting for the right conditions, the weather was finally in Charlie and Blossom's favour.
Sadly, Late on Sunday 26th May, Charlie to sustained an injury to his left shoulder. He Knew immediately that it was a serious enough injury to have to make a call to his expedition Dr back in the UK, to gain his assessment. The Dr gave medical advice, which included taking some painkillers and resting up for a while.
"Having taken the advice, I rested and used this time to assess my situation. I was going well, Blossom was performing admirably. Together we had covered significant mileage in a short space of time, but... I was just a few days into what would be a 5-6 month voyage (more than 5,000 miles still to go), where two fully working arms and shoulders are an absolute must.
Having assessed my situation, the incredibly difficult decision to call an end to “Row Pacific 2019” was made. My Shore Support Team put into action our extraction plan, which involved the Japan Coastguard (JCG). The JCG despatched the vessel “Kurikoma” to my position and extracted me from Blossom. Unfortunately, JCG were unable to recover Blossom."
While Pacific row 2019 has not had the outcome we all hoped for, Team Hesco are all glad to have Charlie back on dry land safe and sound. We wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries, and look forward to cheering him on in his future challenges.
