R.I.P. John Fairfax British waterman dies at 74

John Fairfax (1969) © AP/Peter Kemp

20 February, 2012 : – - John Fairfax, the first known person to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean, has died at his Las Vegas-area home. He was 74. The self-described ‘professional adventurer’ died Feb. 8 of an apparent heart attack. Fairfax was born May 21, 1937 in Italy to an English father and Bulgarian mother.

Fairfax gained international attention in 1969 when he became the first person in recorded history to cross the Atlantic alone by rowboat. He dealt with sharks, storms and exhaustion on the six-month, 5,000-mile (8,046-kilometer) journey from the Canary Islands to Florida.

In 1972, he and his girlfriend, Sylvia Cook, became the first known people to row across the Pacific Ocean. He survived a shark attack and cyclone on the yearlong, 8,000-mile (12,875 kilometer) trek from San Francisco to Australia. ’He was a man of unbelievable strength and courage and confidence in everything he did’, his wife Tiffany said.

Fairfax used two different custom-made boats on the ocean journeys and used the stars to help him navigate. He survived by eating up to eight pounds of fish a day. He had a system to convert ocean water into drinking water. John Fairfax enjoyed many other adventures, including a trip to the Amazon jungle and a stint as a pirate. He also spoke five languages, was a talented chef and regularly played the card game baccarat.