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Aleksander Doba Crosses Atlantic in Kayak for 3rd Time at Age 70
September 7, 2017
Seven years ago, Aleksander Doba became the first person ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a kayak using only muscle power. Sunday, he accomplished the feat for a third time at 70 years old.
According to Metro, Doba landed in France on Sunday, ending his voyage from New Jersey that lasted more than 100 days in the open sea.
The Polish national first completed his journey in 2010 when he traveled from Senegal to Brazil, then followed it up in 2013 when he went from Lisbon to Florida.
This trip was the first to take him in the other direction as well as the farthest north, which created more difficult conditions. After first attempting to leave New York harbor in May 2016, he postponed the trip to instead take off in May 2017, per CanoeKayak.com.
"Ninety-five percent of people die in their sleep," Doba said. "So why lie down?"
After four months at sea, he remained in good spirits when he reached land in Le Conquet this week.
"I felt completely drunk although I was totally sober," he said, per AFP (via Yahoo). "...I was a bit off-kilter, but I'm fine, alive and well!"
As the retired engineer continues to set records, it wouldn't be surprising to see him go for a fourth time, although he might need some time to rest first.