The first known ocean crossing in a vessel that might have used oars some of the time was the Red, White and Blue a dory 24 feet long, 5 ½ feet wide, draft about 19 inches, with a shipped-rigged sail of 65 square yards. She made the trip from New York to London in thirty-eight days in the summer of 1866 piloted by Capt. John N. Hudson, Francis E. Fitch and a small poodle… A documented ocean row of the Atlantic west to east where no sail was used did occur in 1896 by George Harboe and Gabriel Samuelson, two Norwegians in the boat Fox from New York to the Scilly Isles UK in 55 days. There was a long pause from 1896 to the late 1960’s when the ‘sport’ of ocean rowing really began to take shape in earnest.
One rowing team that did it all – both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans – was Curtis and Kathleen Saville aboard their vessel Excalibur. They rowed the 3,600 miles in 1981 from Africa to the West Indies crossing the Atlantic in 83 days and discovered that was about the limit their boat could haul food and water without being able to re-supply. After a respite they rowed the entire 2400 miles of the Mississippi River in the summer of 1983. At this point the Saville’s felt they were ready to tackle rowing the Pacific Ocean. They modified the boat for the warmer climate and renamed her Excalibur Pacific and on July 4th 1984 set out from Callao Peru for the Galapagos Islands the first leg of the long Pacific row. They arrived in August and after a stay headed on to the Marquesas Islands.
As the boat could only carry a finite amount of food and water, reaching the islands strung out along the Pacific Ocean were critical to the success of the voyage. A test of elemental navigation skills and endurance came on this second leg of this Pacific row when a rogue wave hit the boat while Curtis was taking morning star sights and knocked him and the sextant overboard. The lifeline saved Curtis but the sextant was lost. As the weeks went by they were unable to accurately determine their course. The original goal was to stay north and gain the shores of Nuka Hiva, but the probable course with wave and current was taking them further south even missing the next big island Hiva Oa. They had set in motion a plan to row further west and south, where the westward ocean current was taking them, and attempt to land on one of the islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago. As food and water diminished, and no land was sighted day after day, a fortuitous event occurred --the wind shifted to the northeast. Curtis, with a start, smelled land. He instantly figured they had missed the northern Marquesas Islands and were surely south of their intended route. The row to the Tuamotus Islands was abandoned. Both Curtis and Kathleen decided to change course and row to the north. As the miles past Curtis could pick out different wave patterns -- just as the ancient Polynesian Navigators. By keen observance he could tell the difference between the westward traveling ocean waves and the echo waves generated by the protrusion of an island from the ocean floor reflecting outward from the northeast. After 2 days of hard rowing and near exhaustion, the dawn of the third day brought an island into view. It had been 66 days since they left the Galapagos and the island was a magical site. With renewed energy it took another 14 hours to reach the island of Ua Pou and safety. The Saville’s spent five months re-supplying Excalibur Pacific and building up their strength before continuing their 10,000 mile rowing journey ending in Cairns Australia July 31st 1985.
Excalibur Pacific Particulars: LOA 25’. Beam 5’, Weight Dry Hull 800 lbs., Displacement loaded 2000 lbs., Construction Foam Cored Fiberglass, 2 Dagger Boards and a Rudder System, Bow & Stern Cabin, Cockpit with Sliding Seat Rowing System. Designer: Mr. Ed Montesi.
More information: Saville’s Book -- Pacific Voyage Rowing 10,000 Miles Across the South Pacific Aardvark Publishing. On the web: Ocean Rowing Society. Graphics Acknowledgement: Steve Davis
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