Ex-police officer breaks record for most ocean rows

Retired police officer Dawn Smith BEM has been confirmed by the Ocean Rowing Society (ORS) as holding the women’s record for the most ocean rows and the greatest total distance rowed. Smith, who sold her home to fund her first trip in 2019, has completed “pretty much” one ocean crossing a year, rowing more than 16,000 nautical miles. Her latest voyage, with Canadian partner Paul Lore, covered a 2,500-mile crossing from Newfoundland and targets Burnham on Crouch, Essex, on 29 August. ORS says her 16,815 nautical miles and seven ocean crossings are official world records, and the pair also became the first mixed team to row the North Atlantic west to east.