First row across the Drake Passage

The first row across the Drake Passage is by captain Fiann Paul (Iceland), first mate Colin O’Brady, Andrew Towne, John Petersen (all USA), Jamie Douglas Hamilton (UK) and Cameron Bellamy (South Africa) who rowed 604 miles (525 nautical miles, 972 km) from Cape Horn, Chile to Charles Point, mainland Antarctic Peninsula in 12 days 1 hr 45 min between 13 and 25 December 2019 on board Ohana.

This human-powered achievement represents the first crossing of Drake Passage, the first row on the Southern Ocean, the first row to the Antarctic continent, the southernmost start of a rowing expedition, and the southernmost latitude reached by a rowing vessel.

On embarking, skipper Fiann Paul (b. 15 August 1980) became the oldest person to row on the Southern Ocean, at the age of 39 years 120 days old, and first mate Colin O'Brady (b. 16 March 1985) became the youngest person to row on the Southern Ocean, aged 34 years 272 days. It was O'Brady's first ever ocean row. The team rowed in threes, working in 90-minute shifts 24 hours a day. The best day of rowing saw them cover 76.5 nautical miles (141.6 km; 88 miles). The anchor was dropped five times during the journey because of rough waters. According to Ernest Shackleton's biographer Alfred Lansing, “Drake Passage is the most dreaded bit of ocean on the globe.” Ned Gilette and a three-person crew completed a hybrid crossing from Cape Horn to the outer islands of the Antarctic peninsula by rowing with the aid of a sailing mast in 1988.