Paul Lore and Dawn Smith have secured three world records in ocean rowing after taking their 26-foot boat, Penny B, from Newfoundland to the Bishop Rock finish line off Cornwall.
Lore, 63, a retired US Marine from Fernandina Beach, Florida, and Smith, 50, a former Essex Police officer, became the first mixed pair to row the Atlantic from west to east. Their official time was 48 days, 7 hours, 47 minutes and 55 seconds.
The crossing also gave Smith the women’s records for most ocean rows, with seven, and greatest cumulative distance, at 16,815 nautical miles. The Ocean Rowing Society confirmed both individual marks, while Smith also became the first British woman to row the Atlantic in both directions.
“This was the hardest row I’ve ever done. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Smith told the BBC.
Cold, fog and three-hour shifts
Lore and Smith left St John’s, Newfoundland, on 26 June and worked alternating three-hour shifts. Their supplies included a water desalinator, communications equipment, emergency kit and enough food for the passage.
Freezing temperatures and headwinds shaped much of the 2,500-mile crossing. They encountered fog, storms, broken oars and disrupted sleep, while wet clothing offered little protection from the North Atlantic cold. The risk of icebergs remained during the early stages.
“There was a potential we could come in contact with an iceberg. The temperature was so cold. It’s been absolutely brutal,” Smith said.
They saw several whales, but no other people for 47 days. The first person they met was the skipper of a fishing boat, who initially thought Penny B was in distress.
The pair had already proved their speed together. In December 2025, they set the record for the fastest mixed pair crossing from east to west, rowing from La Gomera to Antigua in 42 days, 4 hours and 19 minutes.
The finish before the tow
Penny B crossed the official finish line at the longitude of Bishop Rock without assistance. The pair then faced a difficult final stage of the Atlantic leg.
East of the Runnel Stone, Lore and Smith faced an ebb tide and force 4–5 northerly winds. After hours of rowing, the boat was losing ground and drifting towards danger. Smith said they had rowed against the tide for six hours before it turned, stopping only for small drinks of water.
Penlee RNLI launched its all-weather lifeboat shortly after 11pm on 14 August. The crew found the rowers cold and exhausted, though neither required medical treatment, and towed Penny B into Newlyn at about 3am.
Smith was initially devastated by the assistance. The record adjudicators ruled that it had come after the completed crossing and therefore did not alter the result. Row Aurora said the tracking data showed Penny B had passed Bishop Rock independently.
Seven crossings since 2019
Smith sold her home to finance her first ocean row, a solo Atlantic passage from Gran Canaria to Barbados in 2019. Subsequent expeditions have taken her across the Atlantic with teams and over the mid-Pacific from California to Hawaii.
A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Examiner and British Rowing coach, Smith served with Essex Police for 26 years and received the British Empire Medal in 2022 for services to maritime safety and her community.
The expedition is raising money for two veterans’ organisations. Smith is supporting Phoenix Heroes in the UK, while Lore is fundraising for K9s for Warriors, a provider of service dogs to US veterans.
After Newlyn, the pair resumed their journey through English waters towards Smith’s hometown of Burnham-on-Crouch. A homecoming involving boats, bands and a picnic is planned for 29 August.
