Note Type
HistoryNote
Britannia II was owned by Ken Crutchlow, a Dolphin Club member in the early 1970's. He is shown in photograph 197210 and a few others. Crutchlow, an adventurer himself, assisted many rowers willing to brave the open seas. Ken Crutchlow founded the Ocean Rowing Society in 1983.
John Fairfax & Sylvia Cook, rowing Britannia II, were the first to cross the Pacific. They departed San Francisco on 26 April 1971 and reached Australia after 361 days at sea.
In 1974 Britannia II was successfully rowed by a pair across the Atlantic, East to West. Then in 1980 Peter Bird wanted to row the Pacific by himself. After 147 days out of San Francisco, Britannia II was destroyed on a reef in Hawaii on 26 February 1981. With a new boat, Hele-on-Britannia, Bird successfully soloed the Pacific, departing San Francisco on 23 August 1982 and reaching Australia in 294 days.
While attempting to row the North Pacific West to East, Peter Bird was lost at sea on 3 June 1996.
