Belinda Kirk (born ) is a British

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Explorers Connect, a social enterprise that connects people to opportunities for adventures and expeditions. In 2010, she captained the first all-female rowing team to

circumnavigate Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

Britain non-stop, completing the journey in 51 days.

Biography

At the age of 18, Kirk went to Tanzania to study monkeys. Afterwards, she travelled across Africa by herself, an experience which she says had a profound impact on her sense of self-confidence and outlook in life. Among her other exploits, she has since traversed

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

on foot, and searched for animal life in the

Taklamakan Desert The Taklimakan or Taklamakan Desert (; zh, s=塔克拉玛干沙漠, p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Такәламаган Шамә; ug, تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى, Täklimakan qumluqi; also spelled Taklimakan and Te ...

of China. After working as a TV producer and director, Kirk decided to quit her job, instead focusing on finding ways to help people initiate their own trips and expeditions. “I worry that our society is not set up for adventures," Kirk says, "I’ve realised that we are very disconnected in the modern world from nature and challenge.” In 2009, Kirk launched Explorers Connect, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people find their own adventures both in the UK and overseas. Composed of both beginner and expert explorers, the enterprise had 25,000 community members by 2016. Kirk has worked with TV adventurers Bear Grylls and

Ray Mears Raymond Paul Mears (born 7 February 1964) is a British woodsman, instructor, businessman, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques. He is best known for the TV series '' Ray Mears' Bushcraft'', '' Ra ...

. In 2010, Kirk joined an all-female rowing team that called themselves the Seagals. Kirk acted as skipper, and her teammates included a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

nurse, an IT support manager, and the former

US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Angela Madsen. They entered the Virgin GB Row 2010, an event that challenged rowers to circumnavigate Britain. The Seagals spent the full journey on board their boat, which was so small that only two people could sleep in the cabin at one time, and the teammates divided the rowing into two-hour shifts. Kirk and her crew became the first women to row non-stop around Britain, completing the 2,101 mile journey in 51 days and earning a place in the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. Kirk organized the first Wild Night Out in July 2017, a national day of outdoor adventure, with the aim of encouraging people to try new experiences.

Family

Kirk's father Maurice Kirk, nicknamed the "Flying Vet", is a retired

veterinary surgeon Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on animals by veterinarians, whereby the procedures fall into three broad categories: orthopaedics (bones, joints, muscles), soft tissue surgery (skin, body cavities, cardiovascular system, GI/urogenital/ ...

and amateur aviator. In 2016, he participated in the five-week Vintage Air Rally, where vintage plane enthusiasts flew from

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Maurice made international headlines when his plane disappeared over

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, but he was found safe by search and rescue teams.

External links

Explorers Connect website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Belinda British women Female explorers British female rowers British explorers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People educated at The Red Maids' School