American fighter pilot’s ‘hectic’ beach arrival completes first solo, non-stop, unsupported rowing of the Pacific after 336 days alone
- Jacob Adoram is forced to beach his boat on nearest coast in Northern Australia after strong winds prevent him reaching harbour
- ‘The first time you see land on the horizon is a pretty intense feeling’ he says after life-changing journey
American fighter pilot Jacob Adoram has become the first person to row the entire Pacific, solo, without stopping to stock up on food or receiving any outside support from the US to Australia – but it didn’t end the way he expected.
After a mammoth 336 day row from Washington in the US, Adoram was supposed to dock his ocean rowing boat in a marina in Cairns, Australia, to complete the longest unsupported solo crossing of the Pacific ever but strong winds made it impossible to reach the harbour.
Determined not to be towed and undermine his unsupported claim, even if it was only for the last few miles, Adoram beached his boat on the nearest suitable coast, where locals ran down to help him, and then he was put in front of a news camera. Then the coastguard insisted he get back in his boat and be towed (now having completed the row) back to the marina to meet more cameras, friends and family.
“It was pretty hectic,” Adoram said. “But the first time you see land on the horizon is an incredible feeling. When I first saw it, it was at night, so when the sun came up and the sea had changed from a deep blue to turquoise, it was a pretty intense feeling.”
After so long alone, it was a rude reintroduction back into society, but the journey was life changing.
