Don Allum
Donald Edward Allum (17 May 1937 – 1 December 1992) was a British oarsman, the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions. Duo Atlantic rowing Allum's cousin, Geoff Allum, initially thought of the idea to row solo across the Atlantic after reading John Ridgway and Chay Blyth's book A Fighting Chance and The Penance Way by Merton Naydler, written about the respective exploits of rowing duos Ridgway and Blyth, and David Johnston and John Hoare. However, on hearing the news that this feat had just been completed by John Fairfax, Geoff instead decided that he and Don should attempt to become the first crew to row the Atlantic in both directions. In 1971 the pair made their westbound attempt in their boat, the dory QE3. During the crossing, Don and Geoff had only a short wave radio receiver for listening to the BBC World Service; no electronic equipment for communicating with other vessels. For navigation, they used a sextant. Their chosen port of departure was Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands; in part because it had also been Ridgway and Blyth's starting point, as well as that of Alain Bombard, who rafted across