Aleksander Doba (9 September 1946 – 22 February 2021) was a Polish kayaker known primarily for his long voyages crossing oceans. In 2010 and again in 2013 he kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean westward under his own power. The two voyages were the longest open-water kayak voyages ever made. He was named 2015 Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic.[1] In 2017 he completed an eastward kayaking trip across the Atlantic.[2] He died while climbing Kilimanjaro after reaching the mountain summit.[3]
Doba first tried kayaking at age 34 on a trip organised by the company he was working for.[4] He quickly started going on kayaking expeditions regularly. He went on to win the gold medal at the Open Academic Polish Championships in Whitewater Kayaking in 2003 at age 57 and defended the title the next year.[5][6]
Doba's first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was from Senegal to Brazil in 2010 and spanned 5394 kilometers.[7][8] He was 65 years old when he undertook this journey. It was accomplished in a 7-meter sea kayak and set a record for the longest open-water crossing ever undertaken by a kayaker, at roughly 99 days (the previous longest kayak crossing belonged to Peter Bray who traveled from Newfoundland to Ireland in 2001 and took over 76 days, relying on muscle-power only and no sail). While it was not the first transatlantic kayak crossing in history, Doba was the first one to travel this way from continent to continent and not island to island.[9][4] Doba's journey started at 15:30 Polish time[10] on 26 October 2010 in Dakar, Senegal, and ended when he reached Brazil, touching dry land at 10:12 local time for the first time in 98 days, 23 hours, and 42 min. He then reached Acaraú at 17:50 local time (99 days, 6 h, 20 min).[11] His mean speed was 2.26 km/h, and he averaged 54 km per 24 hours, with a maximum 24‑hour distance of 126.5 km.[7] When he arrived in Brazil he weighed 64 kg. He lost 14 kg in 14 weeks of the journey.[10]
After resting there, he initially planned to paddle another 6,000 kilometers north along the shorelines of the Americas to Washington, D.C.[12] However, he eventually decided to transport his transatlantic kayak to Peru instead and embarked on a journey down the Amazon River but after being attacked and robbed twice in Brazil he had to quit.[13]
On October 5, 2013, at age 67, he departed from Lisbon (Portugal) for a second transatlantic voyage, with the intention of paddling 5,400 miles across the Atlantic's widest point. He arrived at New Smyrna Beach, Florida on April 19, 2014. The voyage took him 196 days to complete, and he paddled 6,300 miles.[14]
On September 3, 2017, Doba completed his third solo transatlantic kayak trip when he kayaked into a port in Le Conquet, France from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey in May 2017. He was at sea for 110 consecutive days.[4] He used a 23-foot kayak, weighing 1500 pounds when fully loaded. During the trip, he struggled against storms; his rudder was damaged and had to be repaired by sailors from a merchant vessel.[2]
Doba has also paddled in a kayak with others around the Baltic Sea (in 1999, 80 days, 4227 km), from Police to Narvik (in 2000, 101 days, 5369 km) and around Lake Baikal (in 2009, 41 days, 2000 km).[15][16] He has also jumped 14 times with parachute, piloted gliders for a total of 250 hours, and practiced cycling. He held a marine yacht skipper certificate.[15]
Doba died while climbing Kilimanjaro on February 22, 2021. According to eyewitness reports he felt well the entire journey but after reaching the top asked for a two-minute break before posing for a photo. He then sat down on a rock and "just fell asleep".[19]
Media appearances
A documentary about the life of Aleksander Doba entitled Happy Olo was released in 2017.[20] In 2019 he participated in the Polish version of "The Mole" (Agent – Gwiazdy), he was eliminated in the 3rd episode and came in 11th.
Several books have been written about his adventures, including three written by Doba himself.[21]
References
^"Video: People's Choice Adventurer of the Year Aleksander Doba". National Geographic. from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
^ ab"Aleksander Doba Completes His Third Atlantic Crossing in a Kayak". Canoe & Kayak Magazine. 2017-09-06. from the original on 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
^"Police. Aleksander Doba, honorary citizen of the city, is dead". from the original on 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
^ abcdeWeil, Elizabeth (2018-03-22). "Why He Kayaked Across the Atlantic at 70 (for the Third Time)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
^"Wyniki poprzednich edycji". AMP Bystrze. from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^"Aleksander Doba tym razem świętuje z rodziną". Interia (in Polish). 22 December 2017. from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
^ ab"Aleksander Doba". Aleksander Doba. from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^Bs (3 February 2011). "Transatlantic Kayak Crossing: Success". transatlantic2010.blogspot.com. from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^"Wyprawy kajakiem przez Atlantyk". Sama Rama (in Polish). from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^ ab"Aleksander Doba". Aleksander Doba. from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^"Start". aleksanderdoba.pl. from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^"TRANSATLANTYCKA Wyprawa Kajakowa". Arsoba Travel (in Polish). from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^"Napad z maczetą i koniec rejsu". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). 2011-06-29. from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^. nationalgeographic.com. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^ ab"Arsoba Travel:: sztuka podróżowania - Kajakiem DOOKOŁA BAJKAŁU w pojedynkę :: lato 2009". www.arsobatravel.pl. from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^"65 year-old sails Atlantic in kayak". thenews.pl. Polskie Radio. February 3, 2011. from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^"Aleksander Doba - Samotnie Kajakiem Przez Atlantyk". YouTube. 2019-07-23. from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^"Bio". aleksanderdoba.pl. from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
^"Wspomnienie Aleksandra Doby. "Na szczycie Olek poprosił o 2 minuty przerwy, usiadł na kamieniu i po prostu zasnął"". Polska Times (in Polish). 2021-02-25. from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^"Happy Olo". IMDb. from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^"Książki". aleksanderdoba.pl. from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
Thomas, Pete (February 4, 2011). . GrindTV. Archived from the original on 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
Mihell, Conor (February 2, 2011). . Canoe & Kayak. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
Mrozek, Małgorzata. "Kajakarstwo - Aleksander Doba przepłynął Atlantyk". naszemiasto.pl (in Polish). Polskapresse Sp. z o.o.
External links
Official website
Unofficial blog for Aleksander Doba Transatlantic Kayak Crossing
January 06, 2023
aleksander, doba, september, 1946, february, 2021, polish, kayaker, known, primarily, long, voyages, crossing, oceans, 2010, again, 2013, kayaked, across, atlantic, ocean, westward, under, power, voyages, were, longest, open, water, kayak, voyages, ever, made,. Aleksander Doba 9 September 1946 22 February 2021 was a Polish kayaker known primarily for his long voyages crossing oceans In 2010 and again in 2013 he kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean westward under his own power The two voyages were the longest open water kayak voyages ever made He was named 2015 Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic 1 In 2017 he completed an eastward kayaking trip across the Atlantic 2 He died while climbing Kilimanjaro after reaching the mountain summit 3 Aleksander DobaAleksander Doba in 2020Born 1946 09 09 September 9 1946Swarzedz PolandDiedFebruary 22 2021 2021 02 22 aged 74 Mount Kilimanjaro TanzaniaSea kayak used by Doba for his 2010 Atlantic crossing Contents 1 Kayaking 2 Personal life 3 Media appearances 4 References 5 External linksKayaking EditDoba first tried kayaking at age 34 on a trip organised by the company he was working for 4 He quickly started going on kayaking expeditions regularly He went on to win the gold medal at the Open Academic Polish Championships in Whitewater Kayaking in 2003 at age 57 and defended the title the next year 5 6 Doba s first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was from Senegal to Brazil in 2010 and spanned 5394 kilometers 7 8 He was 65 years old when he undertook this journey It was accomplished in a 7 meter sea kayak and set a record for the longest open water crossing ever undertaken by a kayaker at roughly 99 days the previous longest kayak crossing belonged to Peter Bray who traveled from Newfoundland to Ireland in 2001 and took over 76 days relying on muscle power only and no sail While it was not the first transatlantic kayak crossing in history Doba was the first one to travel this way from continent to continent and not island to island 9 4 Doba s journey started at 15 30 Polish time 10 on 26 October 2010 in Dakar Senegal and ended when he reached Brazil touching dry land at 10 12 local time for the first time in 98 days 23 hours and 42 min He then reached Acarau at 17 50 local time 99 days 6 h 20 min 11 His mean speed was 2 26 km h and he averaged 54 km per 24 hours with a maximum 24 hour distance of 126 5 km 7 When he arrived in Brazil he weighed 64 kg He lost 14 kg in 14 weeks of the journey 10 After resting there he initially planned to paddle another 6 000 kilometers north along the shorelines of the Americas to Washington D C 12 However he eventually decided to transport his transatlantic kayak to Peru instead and embarked on a journey down the Amazon River but after being attacked and robbed twice in Brazil he had to quit 13 On October 5 2013 at age 67 he departed from Lisbon Portugal for a second transatlantic voyage with the intention of paddling 5 400 miles across the Atlantic s widest point He arrived at New Smyrna Beach Florida on April 19 2014 The voyage took him 196 days to complete and he paddled 6 300 miles 14 On September 3 2017 Doba completed his third solo transatlantic kayak trip when he kayaked into a port in Le Conquet France from Barnegat Bay New Jersey in May 2017 He was at sea for 110 consecutive days 4 He used a 23 foot kayak weighing 1500 pounds when fully loaded During the trip he struggled against storms his rudder was damaged and had to be repaired by sailors from a merchant vessel 2 Doba has also paddled in a kayak with others around the Baltic Sea in 1999 80 days 4227 km from Police to Narvik in 2000 101 days 5369 km and around Lake Baikal in 2009 41 days 2000 km 15 16 He has also jumped 14 times with parachute piloted gliders for a total of 250 hours and practiced cycling He held a marine yacht skipper certificate 15 Personal life EditAleksander Doba was born 9 September 1946 in Swarzedz near Poznan Greater Poland Voivodeship Poland and lived in Police near Szczecin West Pomeranian Voivodeship 4 He studied mechanical engineering at Poznan University of Technology and worked in a chemical factory most of his life 4 17 With his wife Gabriela he had two sons Bartlomiej and Czeslaw 18 Doba died while climbing Kilimanjaro on February 22 2021 According to eyewitness reports he felt well the entire journey but after reaching the top asked for a two minute break before posing for a photo He then sat down on a rock and just fell asleep 19 Media appearances EditA documentary about the life of Aleksander Doba entitled Happy Olo was released in 2017 20 In 2019 he participated in the Polish version of The Mole Agent Gwiazdy he was eliminated in the 3rd episode and came in 11th Several books have been written about his adventures including three written by Doba himself 21 References Edit Video People s Choice Adventurer of the Year Aleksander Doba National Geographic Archived from the original on March 5 2021 Retrieved February 25 2021 a b Aleksander Doba Completes His Third Atlantic Crossing in a Kayak Canoe amp Kayak Magazine 2017 09 06 Archived from the original on 2018 07 07 Retrieved 2018 04 01 Police Aleksander Doba honorary citizen of the city is dead Archived from the original on 2021 02 23 Retrieved 2021 02 23 a b c d e Weil Elizabeth 2018 03 22 Why He Kayaked Across the Atlantic at 70 for the Third Time The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 2018 03 22 Retrieved 2018 03 22 Wyniki poprzednich edycji AMP Bystrze Archived from the original on 2020 12 02 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Aleksander Doba tym razem swietuje z rodzina Interia in Polish 22 December 2017 Archived from the original on 19 January 2021 Retrieved 25 February 2021 a b Aleksander Doba Aleksander Doba Archived from the original on 13 March 2022 Retrieved 7 September 2017 Bs 3 February 2011 Transatlantic Kayak Crossing Success transatlantic2010 blogspot com Archived from the original on 7 September 2017 Retrieved 7 September 2017 Wyprawy kajakiem przez Atlantyk Sama Rama in Polish Archived from the original on 2021 04 12 Retrieved 2021 02 25 a b Aleksander Doba Aleksander Doba Archived from the original on 13 March 2022 Retrieved 7 September 2017 Start aleksanderdoba pl Archived from the original on 2 December 2021 Retrieved 7 September 2017 TRANSATLANTYCKA Wyprawa Kajakowa Arsoba Travel in Polish Archived from the original on 2021 01 24 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Napad z maczeta i koniec rejsu Rzeczpospolita in Polish 2011 06 29 Archived from the original on 2022 03 13 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Aleksander Doba Adventurers of the Year 2014 2015 National Geographic nationalgeographic com 6 November 2014 Archived from the original on 11 October 2016 Retrieved 7 September 2017 a b Arsoba Travel sztuka podrozowania Kajakiem DOOKOLA BAJKALU w pojedynke lato 2009 www arsobatravel pl Archived from the original on 6 September 2017 Retrieved 7 September 2017 65 year old sails Atlantic in kayak thenews pl Polskie Radio February 3 2011 Archived from the original on February 6 2011 Retrieved February 5 2011 Aleksander Doba Samotnie Kajakiem Przez Atlantyk YouTube 2019 07 23 Archived from the original on 2022 03 13 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Bio aleksanderdoba pl Archived from the original on 23 February 2021 Retrieved 25 February 2021 Wspomnienie Aleksandra Doby Na szczycie Olek poprosil o 2 minuty przerwy usiadl na kamieniu i po prostu zasnal Polska Times in Polish 2021 02 25 Archived from the original on 2021 02 25 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Happy Olo IMDb Archived from the original on 2021 11 11 Retrieved 2021 02 25 Ksiazki aleksanderdoba pl Archived from the original on 15 August 2021 Retrieved 25 February 2021 Thomas Pete February 4 2011 Kayaker 64 completes marathon paddle across Atlantic GrindTV Archived from the original on 2011 03 11 Retrieved 2011 02 05 Mihell Conor February 2 2011 Landfall Aleksander Doba reaches South America Canoe amp Kayak Archived from the original on February 7 2011 Retrieved February 5 2011 Mrozek Malgorzata Kajakarstwo Aleksander Doba przeplynal Atlantyk naszemiasto pl in Polish Polskapresse Sp z o o External links EditOfficial website Unofficial blog for Aleksander Doba Transatlantic Kayak Crossing Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aleksander Doba amp oldid 1104141716, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
