Globecomm, Inmarsat kept Pacific rower connected "even when upside-down"

Tropical Storm Mawar might have stopped Charlie Martell from crossing the Northern Pacific in a rowboat, but it didn't stop the Pacific rower's SatLink Inmarsat FB 150 satellite communications rig from keeping him in touch with his UK team even when his boat was upside down.

A Royal Engineer Commando, Charlie Martell intended to row single-handed and without support from Choshi, Japan 4,500 miles to San Francisco. His mission was to establish new world records: The fastest crossing of the North Pacific Ocean; the first unsupported row across the Pacific Ocean; and the first solo Briton to make the crossing. His stunt would also raise funds for three charities.

Charlie Martell spent three years preparing for the arduous trip. He equipped his ocean rowing boat, Blossom, with the latest gear available. This included a Globecomm Maritime-provided Inmarsat FB150 satellite communications system with Inmarsat-provided airtime.

A confident Martell set out from Chosi on May 4. A little more than a month later, he ran into serious trouble. “Five weeks into the row and some 700 miles from Choshi," Martell said, "I was hit by Tropical Storm Mawar."

As the storm was tracking towards him, there was little Martell could do aside from securing every loose item on the deck and securing the forward and aft cabins. “I had been secure in my cabin for about two days even though I had capsized four times," Martell said. "I was using the FB150 handset to make a phone call when I capsized a fifth time."

But the Inmarsat satellite phone's externals proved so rugged, and the connection with the geosynchronous communications satellite so strong despite the ongoing typhoon, that Martell's shore support didn't notice any lag or disruption despite the capsize.

"What was amazing," Charlie Martell noted, "Was that the call barely cut out during the capsize. My shore support commented on how clear the voice communications were and with no time lapse!” And that made him laugh.

Finally, the seventh capsizing incident pitch-poled Blossom fowards. Fortunately, Martell was strapped inside his bunk, and he wasn't injured. But his rowing boat sustained damaged.

“During the capsize," Martell remembered, "the rudder, VHF, and AIS antennae were ripped off, as were two of my spare oars." The damage forced Martell to call off his planned Pacific crossing. He activated his EPIRB (distress radio beacon) and waited for rescue.

Japanese and UK coast guards picked up his distress call and contacted him via his FB150. Despite losing the VHF and AIS antennae to the storm, the doughty satellite phone continued to work. Thirty-six hours later, Charlie Martell was rescued by the Gibraltar-flagged, British-owned bulk carrier Last Tycoon.

“The next 36 hours were a long wait," he said, having counted at least 13 more lateral capsizes, and added that "I maintained communications with both my shore support team in the UK and the coastguards [in the UK and Japan]." He thanked everyone who helped him during the crossing, and made special mention of Globecomm and Inmarsat, "Who kept me connected," according to Martell, "Even when I was upside down!”