Great Pacific Race
- A four-man crew aboard Latitude 35 rowed from San Francisco to Hawaii in record time.
- The trek took them a month without stopping on land and it’s as difficult as it sounds.
- Click HERE for more unique sports news!
After a month at sea, the four-man crew of Latitude 35 set foot on solid ground on Wednesday. The crew, led by Jackson Caldwell, rowed across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Hawaii and did so in record time.
Latitude 35 was one of three teams to compete in this year’s Great Pacific Race. The trek begins at the Golden Gate bridge and ends 2,400 miles across the ocean in Honolulu.
Previously, the fastest time to cross the Pacific was 39 days. Caldwell’s team shattered that record and completed the grueling trip in 30 days, five hours and 37 minutes.
Those aboard Latitude 35 are now the fastest all-male crew of four to row the mid-Pacific route east to west in an open-class rowboat. It was as brutal as it sounds.
The boats launched on May 30th and the crew decided to pair up and row in two-hour shifts.
Making the journey.
Caldwell, Angus Collins and Duncan Roy all had previous experience rowing across oceans. Caldwell, the only American, crossed the Atlantic twice, Roy also rowed the Atlantic and Collins rowed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific.
Jordan Shuttleworth, the fourth member, had no ocean-crossing experience. He suffered from debilitating seasickness that kept him from contributing much in the first week.
For the first two weeks, the four men had to push through cold weather, nasty headwinds and rain. They nearly capsized while pushing through massive swells.
During the last two weeks, the water was less rough.
However, subtropical heat kept the crew from getting necessary rest.
“You’re not getting the sleep you need or the food or water you need,” Caldwell said to the SF Chronicle. “You’re slowly descending. Your body is just slowly breaking down, and it’s a race to get to the other side before it gives up on you.”
After a month at sea, the four-man crew of Latitude 35 set food on solid ground on Wednesday.
Great Pacific Race
They celebrated in Waikiki with their first meal on land in four weeks— hamburgers and beers.