A professional yacht captain and former Royal Marine Commando, Mick Dawson has spent his whole adult life working and living on, around and occasionally in the sea. You’ll always find Mick wherever the action is. He is currently employed in the maritime security industry, protecting cargo ships from attack by pirates!
Rowing the Atlantic west to east for the first time with his brother Steve in 2001, Mick found a passion for ocean rowing that has dominated his life since. Mick worked for the Atlantic Rowing Race organisers as a rowing consultant and safety skipper for the 2005. It was here he came to the rescue of an injured Andrew Morris and went on to complete a second crossing of the Atlantic at his side.
Mick Dawson is also a veteran of three Ocean Rowing projects on the mighty North Pacific. Two solo attempts on the route considered to be the Everest of Ocean Rowing, (Japan to San Francisco) were unsuccessful, the second attempt ending only 1200 miles from the U.S. coast with a freak capsize and sinking. Undeterred, Mick built a new state of the art vessel, Bojangles, and returned to conquer the Pacific with friend and fellow ocean rower Chris Martin. In 2009 they completed their epic 7000mile voyage in 189 days 10 hours and 55 minutes; a world first.
A key aspect throughout all the rowing projects for Mick has been connecting and inspiring the next generation. He has given presentations at countless schools, in the UK, Japan and the U.S. with the message that with some hard, work, determination and passion you can achieve your ambitions.
In particular he has a long connection with Hamilton Lodge School for the Deaf in Brighton and together with the ‘Hearts of Gold Hospice for abandoned children’ in Nigeria they would become the designated good cause to raise money for in his eventual return to the North Pacific in 2009.
Mick Dawson is one of the most experienced ocean rowers on the planet. With a maritime and Royal Marine background coupled with over 420 days at sea in ocean rowing boats on the worlds harshest routes he has a wealth of knowledge, experience and unquestionable capability. Crucially he has the passion to succeed and together with Andrew they are a tried, tested and vastly experienced partnership that can complete this unique voyage.