Kenneth Frank Crutchlow, FRGS (18 March 1944 London, 17 January 2016) was a British adventurer, writer and entrepreneur.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] His involvement in ocean rowing commenced as far back as 1969, when he took the train from NY to Miami on the mission to report the arrival of John Fairfax for a National British newspaper "Daily Sketch".
In 1980 Kenneth for the first time used ARGOS satellite beacons to track the row of Peter Bird across the Pacific Ocean from Russian Far East to San Francisco; and hence, after launching the website, ORSI became the first to start monitoring and tracking rowers at sea, listing positions, plotting charts and posting them - along with the press articles, news and other information about and from rowers at sea, making it available to public.
In 1997, at the start of the first ocean rowing race from Canary Islands to Barbados, an American Tom Lynch, - a friend of Kenneth Crutchlow and of then later Peter Bird, - launched the website of ORSI.
The previous year, Tom Crawford and Mike Witwer had attempted to organise an official race but it was cancelled when the insurance policy was rescinded.
[2] Crutchlow put an ad in Athletics Weekly to find a teammate and Eleanor Robinson, at the time considered the best female ultra runner in the world, was the only person to respond.
[2][3] Crutchlow imported a fleet of London black taxis to Sonoma County, California, and established a cab firm there.
[1] Guinness World Records published an obituary letter commemorating Kenneth’s death, ending with words: “He’ll be sadly missed by everyone here at GWR.
"[1] On the same note The Global Scavenger Hunt program stated: "His curious and boisterous spirit was exhibited front and center from the moment you met him.....You couldn’t not like him.