Dom Mee & The Quest Expedition: Who is Dom Mee

Who is Dom Mee?

Marine explorer extraordinare.

Dom Mee is an ex-Royal Marine with 15 years service to his name. With two Commendations under his belt it almost goes without saying that Dom has always driven himself to the limits in terms of body and mind, in turn developing the inner self and necessary skills to work alone or as part of a team to achieve life’s goals.

His ability to conjure up drive and motivation in some of the World’s most inhospitable environments has been the key to Dom’s journey and ultimate success. In addition Dom has become a world-class international yacht racer with over 12 years experience. The qualities and strength he brings to a team has provided him with the opportunity to race super yachts -Maxi One Design - the formula one of the sea. Dom has represented Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and Russia to date. Sailing is still an all consuming passion of Dom’s.

Dom’s dream began to take shape as a child; he was always seeking above and beyond what was then in his grasp. Years later in 2001 Dom and fellow Royal Marine Tim Welford set out from the fishing village of Chossi in Japan to row the North Pacific, the most storm frequented ocean in the world, aiming to arrive in San Francisco some five months later. After four and a half months, at sea, their routine each three hours on three hours off the oars, unsupported and alone in a 24ft ocean rowing boat and having endured three Typhoons, they came within 800 miles of their final objective. At dawn, in the almost always bleak North Pacific disaster struck in the form of a fishing trawler with no human presence on the bridge. This time far removed from the battlefield, Dom and Tim once again prayed for their lives as the fishing boat rammed into their vessel tearing it in two. Their lives were in grave an imminent danger and their dream shattered. The entire expedition was featured on the BBC One ‘Extreme Lives’ series broadcast late last year.

In September 2003 Dom returned from a successful solo expedition in the High Arctic kayaking the Northwest Passage in a collapsible Kayak, following in the footsteps of Victorian Explorer Sir John Ross. Sir John along with his crew was trapped in the ice between 1829-1833. Dom’s Arctic Quest 1831 expedition was the first to reach the Magnetic Pole of 1831 since it was discovered by the Ross expedition. During the expedition Dom was trapped in the ice, attacked by a Musk Ox breaking four of his ribs and had to survive alone in an area which can be described as the M25 for Polar Bears! The expedition was featured in ‘The Times’ newspaper along with various other publications throughout the voyage along with BBC radio and television coverage.

In March 2004 Dom was selected to be part of the delivery crew for Tracey Edwards’s World Record Breaking yacht ‘Maiden II’. As she sailed to Doha Qatar for a massive new race series. At the end of April 04 he was in Antigua Racing yachts once again.

His taste for the Arctic did not pass at the end of July 2004. He returned with the first British Expedition to do so for a hundred and seventy two years. This time he choose to lead a much larger Expedition, his wealth of knowledge and experience enabled him to head up the Royal Navy, Royal Marines ‘Arctic Quest 1832’ Expedition. Returning to Dom’s polar Mecca with a group of six hand picked individuals. The team far exceeded all expectations for this project completing the journey in some of the worst conditions for sixty years. They found many artefacts relating to Sir John Ross’s original voyage, visited the High Arctic Harbour’s cataloguing their finds. Once again Dom’s on camera presence has aided him in this project being produced into a documentary for National Geographic, to air February 2005.

2005 has the potential to become another epic chapter in Dom’s storey and will add further to an ever expanding portfolio, these experiences will culminate in a vision he has carried for many years The Quest. During 2006/2007 he will undertake one of the last great challenges of exploration. The Quest will emulate the true spirit of the forefathers of exploration who went out into the unknown in search of adventure and a New World.

The Quest will be the first ever circumnavigation of the globe via the two Polar regions, by sail and alone. Yacht Execalibur will be the smallest vessel to circumnavigate the World non-stop. The Quest will depart from the port of Exmouth in Devon and head south for Antarctica circling the continent. Execalibur will head North via the Pacific to the Bering Straits. The Northwest Passage will then have to be navigated to the Atlantic in order to return to Exmouth, some 400 days later. Who knows over that length of time, the scale of his ambition and what might be next!

Updated Tue, Aug 16, 2005