Belinda Kirk (born ) is a British

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

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 circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Exped ...

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 geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

on foot, and searched for animal life in the

Taklamakan Desert The Taklamakan Desert ( ) is a desert in northwest China's Xinjiang region. Located inside the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, it is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the ...

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 Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (; born 7 June 1974) is a British adventurer, writer, television presenter and former Special Air Service, SAS trooper who is also a survival expert. He first drew attention after embarking on a number of notable ...

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'', ' ...

. 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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

nurse, an IT support manager, and the former

US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

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 British reference book published annually, list ...

. 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. Kirk is a fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the British Exploring Society.

Family

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

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

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

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. Maurice made international headlines when his plane disappeared over

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, 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 21st-century British explorers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People educated at The Red Maids' School