Guinness World Records is sad to hear of the passing of Kenneth Crutchlow, Executive Director of the Ocean Rowing Society.
From 1983, when he founded the ORS, Kenneth dedicated himself to championing and documenting attempts to row the oceans, and with the assistance of his wife Tatiana, provided Guinness World Records with the ratification needed for record-breaking rows.
Ken lived a most colourful life. In 1965, he embarked on an around-the-world trip, hitch-hiking for seven years across 60 countries; during this time, he took part in a race from the Empire State Building in New York to the BT Tower in London.
In 1970, he crossed the USA by car from New York to Los Angeles then bicycled from Glendale to Mexico.
He found time to import a fleet of London black taxis to Sonoma County, California, and establish a cab firm there. And in 1974, he ran across Death Valley, following this up a year later with a winter-time swim across the freezing waters from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
It’s for his commitment to ocean rowing, however – and in particular the support he gave to multiple record holder Peter Bird (first and youngest person to row the Pacific, Longest distance rowed in a career – that he will be most remembered.
“We were terribly sad to hear that Kenneth had succumbed to stomach cancer,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday. “It was always a pleasure hosting Ken and his lovely wife Tatiana at our London offices, and his remarkable larger-than-life stories over dinner were unforgettable, despite the copious vodka toasts to those at sea! Ken was joyously old-school about things, and a truly unique character straight from the pages of a Boy’s Own annual. They don’t make them like that any more. He’ll be sadly missed by everyone here at GWR."
