He is the only person in the world to have canoed across the ocean.Continue reading
Extreme athlete Gábor Rakonczay completed his last expedition in 75 days and 10 hours, during which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone in his canoe, and as he said, his career has now come to an end.
“I crossed the ocean to see the power that makes the world go round,” the 44-year-old athlete wrote on Facebook on Sunday, having reached Antigua on Saturday evening (Hungarian time) after 5,123 kilometers, and remarked that this was his second ocean crossing in the world, after his 77-day trip in 2012.
Rakonczay’s arrival was followed live on his social media site by some 15,000 people.
On the spot, a boat sailed out to greet him, and Rakonczay was cheered by the greetings.
“This concludes my 18-year career in extreme sports, and with the experience I have gained, I am entering a new phase of my life,” wrote the Hungarian extreme athlete, whose last days were made difficult by fatigue, a broken thumb, and the emptying of his food storage. Rakonczay said that although it was a one-man expedition, he was grateful for the support of his family, friends, and followers, as well as the boat’s designer.
He was originally scheduled to set sail on his last major expedition from La Palma in the Canary Islands on December 16, but weather conditions forced him to wait and he finally set sail on December 23. He set off on the 65-day voyage in a special canoe with a cabin.
Originally designed and built by Nándor Fa, Rakonczay rebuilt the boat based on his experience in 2012, adding a new cabin, capital weight, steering system, and state-of-the-art technical equipment. The boat was tested last January on a 1,400-kilometer trip from Portugal to the Canary Islands.
Gábor Rakonczay’s sporting career milestones include four ocean crossings with sail boat, two ocean crossings with canoe, two Greenland crossings, a 44-day Antarctic expedition, and a world ultramarathon championship win.
His is a two-time Guinness World Record holder, winner of the American Adventure of the Year Award, and the Hungarian Design Award. He is also the only person in the world to have canoed across the ocean.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Rakonczay Expedíciók