Adventurer 'wobbly' but well after 327 days at sea

A former Royal Marine who rowed solo across the Pacific and Indian Ocean says life has been "quite a whirlwind" since he stepped ashore in Kenya.

Dave "Dinger" Bell, from Bere Regis in Dorset, arrived in Kilifi to a hero's welcome on Friday after 327 days rowing, unsupported, from Peru, across the Pacific and Indian Ocean.

He said, after nearly 11 months at sea, he had trouble balancing at first but was otherwise well.

Bell has so far raised £130,000 for Rock2Recovery, a charity helping military and blue light personnel with PTSD, and has received messages of support from public figures, including the Prince of Wales.

He described the weather during his last few days at sea as "fantastic".

"I had wind, swell and current all in my favour," he said.

"Bizarrely, I was in no rush to come in. I knew I wanted to savour those last few days and I was actually really quite content out there."

Bell was guided into shore, past the rocks and reefs, by a local fisherman and was welcomed by locals and supporters who had flown out to meet him.

Since arriving, he has undergone a medical check-up and blood tests by a local doctor. He said he was still a "little bit wobbly" but now able to walk unassisted.

He said: "I was obviously very unsteady on my feet, that's just balance and that comes back gradually and was entirely expected.

"For the rest of the day I couldn't really walk because my balance was so bad. I was either holding on to someone or something but that had worn off by Saturday morning."

Bell said the community at Kilifi had "thrown their arms around" him and his partner, Georgie.

"We haven't eaten at the hotel, we've eaten at somebody's house, been invited for dinner, every night since I got in.

"It's been very sociable and the welcome from the locals has been tremendous."

Bell and his team now have the task of clearing out a year's worth of rubbish from his boat, cleaning it and shipping it back to the UK before he flies home.

In 2021, he rowed across the Atlantic, from New York to Newlyn, Cornwall, and vowed never to do anything like it again.

But advances in technology, such as lighter boats, improved solar panels and autopilot systems made him curious about what else he could achieve.

The record-breaking journey took Bell in a westerly direction across the Pacific, the Coral Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Torres Straight and the north coast of Australia, before crossing the Indian Ocean, covering more than 15,000 nautical miles (28,000km).