Britons Row From Japan to San Francisco

Two British men rowed unassisted across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco, arriving at the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday, TV station KGO has reported.

The journey of 5,100 miles took 189 days to complete. Chris Martin, 28, and Mick Dawson, 45 -- both experienced rowers -- are the first to row unescorted across the North Pacific Ocean, according to the Web site they set up to chronicle the feat, which they called the Golden Gate Endeavour.

Martin and Dawson set out in April from Choshi, Japan, in a 23-foot row boat called the Bojangles. The boat left Japan with everything needed for the trip, including all food and supplies, a water desalinator and communication and video systems powered by solar panels, the sailors' Web site said.

Typhoons and tropical storms are a constant threat in the North Pacific. Both Martin and Dawson had crossed the Atlantic before, but said that was nothing compared to this. Wind and currents blew them off course and set them a few days behind.

"The North Pacific is the most hostile, fantastic, beautiful, worst, best place you can go to," Dawson told KGO.

After arriving at the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday, the sailors accepted a tow to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, where friends and family from the United States, Canada and England were waiting.

Martin and Dawson solicited donations on their Web site, with proceeds going to two charities: the Hamilton Lodge School in England and Hearts of Gold children's hospice in Nigeria.

They announced that since they raised enough to cover their expenses through sponsorships before they set out, all donations would go to charity.

The men told KGO they would sleep about two hours every night and then take 12-hour shifts rowing.

To read more, go to KGO and www.goldengateendeavour.com.