Rowing into the record books is no mean feat but one ambitious Barnes resident thinks setting a new world record was well worth the six months he and his rowing partner spent at sea.

Chris Martin, 29, of Church Road, took on the challenge of rowing a two man boat from Choshi, in Japan, to San Fransisco in the US, after fellow rower Mick Dawson planted the idea of the once-in-a-lifetime trip in his head.

He said: “I guess I have a philosophy with opportunities that you should never turn them down if offered to you.

“So when I met Mick and he suggested I might like to row the Pacific it hit a cord that made me think I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do it - so I just ran with it all the way to San Fransisco.”

And the decision to take on the mammoth challenge certainly paid off. The two keen rowers have now been officially named by the Guiness book of World records as the first team to row the Pacific Ocean going west to east.

The Barnes rower, a keen oarsman since his days at Hampton School, paired up with ex-Royal Marine Mr Dawson to take on the double handed Altantic crossing with no support boat alongside.

Rowing in two hour shifts the ambitious duo completed their challenge in just 189 days - securing themselves a place in the history books.

Mr Martin, who said his days of mammoth challenges are behind him for now, described the trip as a unforgettable experience that has left him with a lifelong friend.

He said: “Our partnership [mine and Mick’s] worked tremendously. We set out as friends but came back as brothers.”

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