A retired police officer has been confirmed as holding the women's record for the most ocean rows and the greatest total distance rowed.
Dawn Smith BEM sold her home to fund her first trip in 2019 and has done "pretty much" one ocean crossing a year since, rowing more than 16,000 nautical miles.
For her latest crossing, she and Canadian partner Paul Lore completed a 2,500-mile voyage from Newfoundland, Canada, and aim to arrive at her hometown of Burnham on Crouch, Essex, on 29 August.
On Monday, the Ocean Rowing Society (ORS) confirmed that her 16,815 nautical miles rowed and her seven ocean crossings were both official world records.
Her latest venture with Lore also crowned them the first mixed pair to row the north Atlantic from west to east.
She is also the first British woman to row the Atlantic in both directions.
Going from west to east is unusual as it means tackling tricky British waters at the end of the journey.
Smith said: "This was the hardest row I've ever done. It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
"Neither of us can quite believe that we've actually come through it.
"There was a potential we could come in contact with an iceberg. The temperature was so cold. It's been absolutely brutal."
They spotted several whales along the way, but the first human being they saw in 47 days was the skipper of a fishing boat - who thought the pair needed rescuing.
'No money, just passion'The duo arrived back in the UK last week and needed assistance from the coastguard and towed to Newlyn in Cornwall, the nearest safe harbour.
"We had to row against the tide for six hours and still went backwards before the tide turned. So we rowed solidly, we did not stop for a break, we did not stop for food, small water breaks," she said.
ORS said the distance towed was "virtually insignificant" compared to other historic rows and therefore would not prevent Smith taking the new record.
Smith and Lore embracing before pushing off the south coast [Row Aurora]Smith told BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer that the sport is so expensive she had to sell her house to fund her first trip six years ago.
"This boat, second hand, costs about £53,000. You've got about £10,000 worth of equipment on board. The food is £10 per packet and you need three of those per day, plus snacks per person that you need to pack for about 60 days," she said.
"Some people could see this as a privileged sport. I don't have money, I just have passion."
Dawn's tripsIn 2019, she crossed the Atlantic solo, from Gran Canaria to Barbados.
She then crossed it twice more in 2021 and 2022, from Tenerife to Antigua. This time with a team.
In 2023, Smith was joined by two others for a mid-Pacific row from Monterey, California to Kauai, Hawaii.
She conquered the Atlantic again in 2024 with a team of four, rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua.
In December 2025, she and Lore broke the world record for the fastest mixed pair - travelling from La Gomera to Antigua in 42 days, 4 hours, 19 minutes.
They embarked on their latest challenge on 26 June.
The pair passed the finish line, which is a skerry off the British coast called Bishop Rock [RNLI Penlee]Smith is raising money for Phoenix Heroes, a charity that helps veterans, while Lore is supporting K9s for Warriors in the US, which provides service dogs to veterans.
Burnham on Crouch is organising a spectacular welcome party for their return, including bands, boats and a picnic.
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