Dinger Is Off Again! 

On another solo, unsupported row, only this time he’s taking on TWO oceans back-to-back while raising funds for Rock2Recovery. Dave “Dinger” Bell, a Royal Marine veteran with 20 years of service, is on a mission to take on something never done before: Leaving from Lima, Peru, on 9th November 2025, his initial goal is to cross the entire Pacific Ocean, a phenomenal journey of 7,500 nautical miles, solo, and unsupported – a feat expected to take around 200 days. HOWEVER, when he nears the shores of Australia, Dinger plans to complete a “mind, body and boat check” before deciding whether to push even further! If he continues, he will attempt to squeeze through the Torres Strait, travel along the whole of the north coast of Australia, before continuing across the wild Indian Ocean. If successful, this extended route would cover an mind-blowing 14,500 nautical miles and take around 350 days, finishing in Mauritius by mid-October 2026. If successful, this will be the longest ocean row of all time, by a huge margin. 

But it won’t be easy. Dinger will need to safely navigate uncharted reefs and atolls that kick up treacherous surf zones as he approaches the Coral Sea and the notorious Torres Strait – all while at the mercy of powerful winds, tides and ocean currents. Dinger admits he doesn’t know if he can do it, but in his own words, “the rewards come from the toil of trying”. Judging by his past performance on the North Atlantic, we know he will give it his all. 

Every detail has been carefully planned – from building the boat and selecting the right equipment to weather routing, avoiding cyclone seasons and fuelling himself with over 5,000 calories a day. A live tracker: https://cf.yb.tl/dingersbigrow  will share his progress with waypoints and updates throughout the voyage. You can also follow him on the YB Races app under “Dinger’s Big Row 2025”. 

After completing his 3,200-nautical-mile North Atlantic solo row in 2021, from New York to Newlyn, Cornwall, the call of the ocean has lured him back for this extraordinary new challenge. We are delighted to have Dinger supporting Rock2Recovery once again. To get to the start line, Dinger has literally spent his entire life savings. At the last count around 18 companies, individuals or organisations have stepped in and helped in some way. Some with advice, some with discounts on kit, others with free or discounted services and a couple of legends with cold hard cash. Without them Dinger would not have got this far. 

Some facts about the challenge: · 8.3 m carbon fibre boat weighing 230 kg 
175 kg of emergency, communication and repair equipment 
400 kg of food, around 4,000 different food items 
He requires a minimum of 5,000 calories per day 
He must clean the hull mid-ocean, despite a fear of open water! 
He carries a full medical kit for every eventuality 
He will try and row for 10–12 hours a day and sleep around 8 hours · He uses a ‘parachute’ anchor during heavy weather 
He has a machine to convert seawater into drinking water

CLICK THE LINK TO SEE THE ENORMITY OF THE ROW

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