Ex-Marine completes stunning 10-month row across two oceans and looks like real-life Robinson Crusoe

Ex-Marine completes stunning 10-month row across two oceans and looks like real-life Robinson Crusoe Dave Bell, 54, from Bere Regis, Dorset, is believed to be the first man ever to solo row across two oceans without returning to land, and finished his trip looking completely different from when he started A former royal marine looks like a real-life Robinson Crusoe after completing a mammoth 17,500-mile solo row across both the Pacific and Indian Oceans without stepping on land or resupplying. Dave Bell, 54, who has previously admitted to having a fear of open water, reached Kilifi, south east Kenya, at 12.12pm local time on Friday, some 10 months, or 327 days and 16 hours, after setting off. On arrival, he said: "I can’t wait to have a beer, take the longest shower of my life and sleep in a proper bed.” Dave admitted his biggest challenge during his time at sea had been to "stop rowing" for eight weeks while crossing the South Pacific to avoid arriving in the Coral Sea during cyclone season. He said: "I was too quick so I had to slow down. To sit, mid-ocean, knowing you've still got seven, eight, nine months at sea, but not be rowing was one of the hardest things, psychologically, that I've ever had to deal with." Dave, from Bere Regis, Dorset, began his incredible voyage on a small carbon-fibre ocean rowing boat, which he named 'Billy No Mates, after setting off from the city of Callao in Peru on November 9 last year. He rowed for up to 12 hours each day while fuelling himself with at least 5,000 calories a day and managing navigation, power systems, repairs and weather routing. The journey saw him travel around northern Australia and across the Indian Ocean to East Africa, via the the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the notorious Torres Strait. Dave, who repaired his rudder three times during the perilous crossing, was forced onto a parachute anchor in the Coral Sea after his boat's electrical systems were damaged during a knockdown. An oar was later ripped from the side of the boat, breaking its gate, bending a pin and snapping its safety tether. And the loose oar then broke a spare and damaged the boat’s daggerboard, while another wave struck with enough force to spin the vessel 360 degrees. Dave, who served for 20 years in the Royal Marines and spent much of his career stationed in Arbroath, said: “Rowing has only been one of the jobs. I’ve had to become an electrician, mechanic, navigator, chef and nurse. When you’re this far from land, there’s nobody else to call. Whatever needs doing, you do it.” Asked if he had seen any sharks, he said: "Yes, the most enjoyable part was the wildlife encounters I had. I was followed for weeks - one white-tip on one side and one on the other - and I would row for days like that." Dave, known to pals as Dinger, previously completed a solo unsupported row from New York to Cornwall in 2021 before claiming he would never attempt anything as dangerous again. His latest achievement is believed to a new world record, subject to formal verification. He conceived his plan to row two oceans solo after seeing how technological advances had helped crews cross established routes quicker than ever. However, instead of wanting to go faster, he wanted to see how far those advances could allow one person to travel. He said: “Everyone was getting quicker and quicker and I thought, what happens if you replace speed with distance? How far can you actually go? People told me I could maybe do it, which was like a red rag to a bull. My motivation was always to find out whether it was possible to row two oceans in one go.” Dave set off on his 230kg vessel carrying 175kg of emergency, communication and repair equipment and 400kg of food, including around 4,000 different food items. He was also carrying a full medical kit, a ‘parachute’ anchor for use during heavy weather and a special machine to convert seawater into drinking water. By completing the challenge Dave has raised more than £110,000 for Rock2Recovery, which supports serving military personnel, veterans, emergency service personnel and their families. He was today reunited with his partner Georgie Bell, who he credited with helping him complete the gruelling challenge. He said: “I’m the one pulling the oars, but I’ve not done this alone. Georgie has held the project together from the beginning. I wouldn’t have got to Peru without her, never mind Kenya. “I’m lucky to have a great team of people behind me with weather router Simon Rowell, boatbuilder Mark Slats, Barry Hayes on media and the expert team at Atacama, who have made sure I have all the right gear to withstand everything the oceans threw at me. They’ve all done so much more than they had to do and I wouldn’t be here without them.” Fellow adventurer Jamie Maclean, who broke a world record crossing the Pacific alongside his two brothers last year, and TV stars Ben Fogle and Jason Fox sent Dave messages praising his achievement. Fogle, 52, described Dave as a “legend” following the “unbelievable, Herculean effort.” Fox, 50, said: "He's done. Two oceans on his own. It is incredible. What he's done is insane and it's all for Rock 2 Recovery." Former footballer turned pundit Graeme Souness, 73, who has himself completed a number of charity challenges in recent years, added: "Dave, I can't get my head around 15,500 (nautical) miles. Truly, truly incredible. Well done you."