Jim Shekhdar
Encyclopedia
Jim Shekhdar is a British ocean rower and was the first person to complete a solo unassisted non-stop crossing of the Pacific Ocean.
, England in 1946 and lived in India from the age of seven to twelve, where he learned Hindi
. Back in England, he went to university where he studied civil engineering
. Shekhdar was a keen water polo
player but stopped playing after a falling out with the British Water Polo Administration for claiming airfare to an International match.
He stayed in Australia for a year and a half playing Rugby
and working as an engineer. He then moved on to Papua New Guinea
, Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand and Las Vegas
. He finally returned to England where he was permitted to play water polo again, but was banned for life one more time after throwing a referee into the water.
after reading John Ridgway
’s book about his transatlantic row with Chay Blyth
. He initially wanted to start a corporate team building style venture with either Ridgway or Blyth but neither were interested.
In 1997, he heard about the Port St Charles Atlantic Rowing Race
organised by Sir Chay's company, Challenge Business, and entered with David Jackson. They rowed from Tenerife
to Barbados
in sixty five days.
Bird had set off from San Francisco and had run aground on Hawaii. To avoid the same fate, Shekhdar decided to set out from South America which he felt offered a clearer route across the Pacific. He originally chose Chile but was denied permission and set off from Peru instead.
Jim Shekhdar describes his boat (“Le Shark”) as a “big boat”, weighting 800 kg with a steel keel (and not custom designed for this event). Its length is estimated at 7 meters.
Shekhdar set off from Peru on 29 June 2000 and arrived in Australia on 30 March 2001 having rowed approximately 8,000 miles in 274 days. During the voyage, he had ten encounters with sharks and a near miss with a tanker. Shekhdar originally thought the voyage would take only eight months and towards the end he almost ran out of food.
On arriving at North Stradbrooke Island off Brisbane, his boat overturned and he had to swim the remaining thirty meters where his wife and children were waiting.
Career
Shekhdar was born in Leamington SpaLeamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, England in 1946 and lived in India from the age of seven to twelve, where he learned Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. Back in England, he went to university where he studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. Shekhdar was a keen water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
player but stopped playing after a falling out with the British Water Polo Administration for claiming airfare to an International match.
He stayed in Australia for a year and a half playing Rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and working as an engineer. He then moved on to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. He finally returned to England where he was permitted to play water polo again, but was banned for life one more time after throwing a referee into the water.
Ocean rowing
Shekhdar became interested in ocean rowingOcean rowing
Ocean rowing is the sport of rowing across oceans. The sport is as much a psychological as it is a physical challenge. Rowers often have to endure long periods at sea without help often many days if not weeks away. The challenge is especially acute for solo rowers who are held in especially high...
after reading John Ridgway
John Ridgway (sailor)
John Ridgway, MBE, , is a British yachtsman and rower.-Biography:Ridgway was educated at Pangbourne Nautical College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 1966, whilst a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, Ridgway, together with Chay Blyth, rowed across the North Atlantic in a 20 ft open...
’s book about his transatlantic row with Chay Blyth
Chay Blyth
Sir Charles Blyth, CBE, BEM , known as Chay Blyth, is a Scottish yachtsman and rower. He was the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world , on a 59-foot boat called British Steel.- Early life:...
. He initially wanted to start a corporate team building style venture with either Ridgway or Blyth but neither were interested.
In 1997, he heard about the Port St Charles Atlantic Rowing Race
Atlantic Rowing Race
The Atlantic Rowing Race is a challenging ocean rowing race from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 2,550 nm . The race was founded by Sir Chay Blyth and first held in 1997 with subsequent races roughly every two years since. The early races were run by Challenge...
organised by Sir Chay's company, Challenge Business, and entered with David Jackson. They rowed from Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in sixty five days.
Rowing the Pacific
The Atlantic race had given Shekhdar a taste for ocean rowing and his sights soon turned to the Pacific. Peter Bird had rowed across the Pacific already but he had stopped in Hawaii and eventually ended up being rescued by the Australian Navy 33 miles from the Australian mainland. The way was still open therefore for a solo unassisted non-stop crossing. Shekhdar had an arthritic hip and was on the waiting list for a replacement but decided to delay the operation in order to complete the row even though he was in pain.Bird had set off from San Francisco and had run aground on Hawaii. To avoid the same fate, Shekhdar decided to set out from South America which he felt offered a clearer route across the Pacific. He originally chose Chile but was denied permission and set off from Peru instead.
Jim Shekhdar describes his boat (“Le Shark”) as a “big boat”, weighting 800 kg with a steel keel (and not custom designed for this event). Its length is estimated at 7 meters.
Shekhdar set off from Peru on 29 June 2000 and arrived in Australia on 30 March 2001 having rowed approximately 8,000 miles in 274 days. During the voyage, he had ten encounters with sharks and a near miss with a tanker. Shekhdar originally thought the voyage would take only eight months and towards the end he almost ran out of food.
On arriving at North Stradbrooke Island off Brisbane, his boat overturned and he had to swim the remaining thirty meters where his wife and children were waiting.