This weeks guest is a man of substance, an adventurer a real true life record breaker.
I was told about Leven Brown from a friend who recounted a tale about a man rowing a boat from Cadiz to Tobago. To be honest my first thought was that my friend had become confused Cadiz to Tobago! Solo? Surely not! My second thought was that my geography was pretty poor but on further research, it was true.
What a massive undertaking, what a triumph, what a guy. As you all know the Stephen Rowan show is about finding people that are carving out their own path, moving along a road less travelled or beating some type of adversity, it seemed only right that Leven should be a guest on the show.
It seems madness that these types of achievements are not celebrated and recognised by more people. I mean come on 123 days by yourself rowing about. Phenomenal!
So join me for a chat with Leven as we discuss his adventures on the ocean, his reasons for doing it and what we can all learn from the ocean.
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Leven Brown is one of the most experienced and highly regarded ocean rowing skippers in the world. If you want to break records, get great tested kit or get advice – he is the man to do it with!

Leven is RYA MCA Yachtmasters Ocean qualified, with hands on knowledge of navigation, planning ocean passages, meteorology, crew management, yacht and ocean rowing boat preparation, maintenance and repairs. He is a multiple Guinness World Record holder and survival expert.

Leven’s experience is second to none, his first ocean row (solo and unsupported from mainland Spain to Trinidad & Tobago) taught him the greatest respect for the ocean, and he gained great knowledge having no one else to rely on but himself in challenging situations.

Since then, Leven has rowed over 30,000 nautical miles, including the Trade Winds route several times, the North Atlantic from New York to the Scilly Isles and across the Indian Ocean from Western Australia to the Seychelles.

Leven’s experience of skippering ocean rowing teams and his endless energy and enthusiasm gives great encouragement to crew and sponsors alike. He will push himself to the limit and inspire his fellow ocean rowers to achieve their goals.
OCEAN GOING ANCESTORS
With a bloodline of seafarers it is no surprise that Leven loves the ocean, his paternal Great Grandfather Capt Donald Macphee was one of the last men (along with Uffa Fox) to gain his skipper’s ticket for square rigged ships.

Captain Macphee navigated Sir Tommy Sopwith’s yacht ‘Endeavour’ across the Atlantic Ocean to Rhode Island in 1937 for the Americas Cup but sadly died prior to the actual race. Leven’s Great Uncle Murdoch Brown was a Surgeon Sea Captain and served in the China Seas during World War 2. Leven’s dad, Lorne Brown is a very competent yachtsman and has sailed yachts over the Atlantic and many other places.
Leven Brown is a British Ocean Rower who has held 5 Guinness World Records.[1][2] He along with his crew Don Lennox, Livar Nysted and Ray Carroll also held the world record for "longest distance rowed in 24h in an ocean rowing boat" at 118 miles, is the first and thus far only in the sport ever to have held North and 'Trade Winds' (Mid Atlantic) Speed records simultaneously and to hold two speed records over two separate oceans (North Atlantic and Indian Ocean) [3][4] Born on 14 August 1972 he was brought up on a landlocked farm in his native Scottish Borders but was introduced to the ocean at an early age where he discovered ocean rowing. After a career with Brewin Dolphin Securities that spanned 17 years he did his first Ocean Row in 2005.[5]