Rowing: Brit completes solo Pacific crossing

British rower Jim Shekhdar completed an epic crossing of the Pacific Ocean in dramatic fashion today when he was thrown from his rowing boat and forced to swim the final 200 metres to Australia in heavy surf.

The 54–year–old former computer salesman was rowing toward a beach at North Stradbroke Island close to the Queensland state capital of Brisbane when he was hit by a two–metre wave and thrown overboard.

His wife and children waded into the water to greet him as he struggled out of the pounding sea with television helicopters hovering overhead.

Shekhdar traveled more than 12,970 kms since leaving Peru in June last year.

In addition to being the only Pacific Ocean crossing in a row boat without assistance, Shekhdar can also claim to be the quickest, finishing 20 days faster than an assisted row from San Francisco to the Great Barrier Reef by Englishman Peter Bird in 1983.

He described seeing the Australian coastline after 274 days alone at sea as "absolutely wonderful."

Shekhdar was also given a cold beer on the beach – something he had been wishing for during his past months at sea.

Shekhdar said his most dangerous encounter during nine months at sea was with a tanker that came within 10 metres of running him down.

He also fought off a large shark that attacked his boat, which was called Le Shark.

- INDEPENDENT