Four men say they set a new world record for the fastest unassisted and unassisted rowing from San Francisco to Hawaii, completing the trip in just over 30 days.
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Jason Caldwell, Duncan Roy, Angus Collings and Jordan Shuttleworth arrive in Hawaii after rowing from San Francisco. (June 30, 2021)
Jason Caldwell, Duncan Roy, Angus Collings and Jordan Shuttleworth from the Latitude 35 racing team completed the 2,400-nautical mile excursion on Wednesday in a time of 30 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes, allegedly breaking the previous record of 39 days, Set back 9 hours and 56 minutes in 2016.
NBC Bay Area reached out to Guinness World Records to confirm the performance but didn’t hear back immediately.
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The four-person crew was part of the Great Pacific Race, a rowing competition in which teams of two and four compete in identical boats on a lonely journey across the open sea.
Caldwell said he and his three teammates rowed in two-person, two-hour shifts – 24 hours a day – throughout the trip.
“If you’re a team like us looking to win a race or maybe break the world record, you have to keep this boat moving,” said Caldwell. “We did that for 30 days without a break.”
Caldwell said the rowing was the easiest part and the two hour breaks in between were the toughest. Then the crew had to find ways to eat, sleep, stay healthy and clean.
“It’s just about maintaining your body,” he said. “You lack sleep, you are malnourished, you are dehydrated. You have wounds everywhere, ribs damaged by stress. Everyone has ailing injuries and they just keep getting worse and worse. You’re basically trying to hold on. Your body tries to hold on until you reach the finish line. “
Caldwell holds other rowing records, including crossing the Atlantic.
“The Pacific is very different from the Atlantic. The Atlantic is very consistent,” said Caldwell. “But the Pacific just isn’t constant at all. It’s a lot more brutal. Its highs are much higher. Its lows are much lower.”
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