By 2019, seven years will have passed since Blossom and I were in Japan, setting off from Choshi, heading for the western seaboard of the USA. All was going well until we encountered Typhoon Mawar. It’s testament to the design and rigorous build of Blossom that she survived this storm; she’s the first rowing boat known to have withstood such an onslaught.

Fortunately, we (Blossom and I) were both recovered from the ocean by a passing ship. A fellow ocean rower, caught up in the same storm, had to wave goodbye to her boat as she was rescued.

But Blossom (and I!) are now repaired and ready to make another attempt at this elusive Guinness World Record feat – to be the first person in history, to row solo and unsupported across the North Pacific Ocean, from Japan to the USA, land to land.

A number of lessons have been learned from the test of 2012. But the Pacific Ocean is not an easy ocean and 2019 will not be an easy trip.

I am raising funds for Give Them a Sporting Chance (GTaSC) as well as Veterans In Action (VIA) and the Allied Forces Foundation (AFF).