Ex-marine born and raised in Hucknall completes epic solo transatlantic row from New York to Cornwall

A former Marine, who was born and raised in Hucknall has just completed an amazing solo challenge.
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Dave ‘Dinger’ Bell, 49, has just rowed non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Cornwall – taking 118 days to complete the journey.

Born in Hucknall, Dave attended National Academy and was a member of the 1803 Hucknall Squadron Air Cadets from the ages of 14 to 17.

Through the Cadets, he had dreams of being a pilot but at the time he failed the medical due to be asthmatic.

Dave's blistered hands show just how tough the row wasDave's blistered hands show just how tough the row was
Dave's blistered hands show just how tough the row was

So with his feet forced to remain on the ground, Dave turned to the Marines and it was during his time as a green beret that the seeds of the transatlantic adventure were sewn.

Dave said: “There were two section corporals I knew who did what was the Woodvale Race – it’s now called the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge – back in 1998 and that was the first time I’d heard of Atlantic rowing.

"The idea stayed with me and I seriously started looking at it when I left the military in 2010.

"I then worked in Jamaica for three years between 2013 and 2016 and I thought I could do the row by rowing home from Jamaica.

Dave 'Dinger' Bell at the start of his epic journey (left) and at the end back on dry landDave 'Dinger' Bell at the start of his epic journey (left) and at the end back on dry land
Dave 'Dinger' Bell at the start of his epic journey (left) and at the end back on dry land

"But you can’t row across the Atlantic from Jamaica because you’d be trying to row into the trade winds which is physically impossible.

"If you want to go from west to east, you have to start from New York, Cape Cod or Newfoundland, so I started from New York.

"It was then that I found out that the north Atlantic is a lot colder, a lot stormier and that nobody did it, so that was it for me, that was the challenge and I was going for it.

"For the most part of the row, it was everything I wanted and expected, it was unpredictable, it was stormy it was scary but it was also massively rewarding with sunrises, sunsets and visits from nature and I was coping.

"But then with 500 miles to go a high pressure system settled over the UK and the Atlantic, which brought lovely weather to the UK but stormy swells out at sea that I simply couldn’t row into.

"It lasted for 18 days and in that time, I only covered about 50 miles which was brutal and disheartening and I started thinking about being home and missing my friends and girlfriend like crazy.

"It was a huge hole in my rations too and to put it into perspective, I could cover 50 miles in a day in good weather.”

Eventually, Dave got going again but had one more frightening challenge when he had to navigate his way through a narrow channel through the middle of the Scilly Isles during a storm and in fog and he even at one point called the row off as it was too dangerous.

However, guided in by the Scilly Isles harbour master, he was able thread the needle through the narrow channel and then complete the final stretch to Cornwall.

Back on dry land, Dave has been building up his strength again and allowing muscles to heal again before hitting the slopes this winter for skiiing in the French Alps.

He reflected: “This wasn’t about records or glory, it was about just seeing if I could do it.

"I was curious to see what my personal limits were and I found the answers in the north Atlantic.”