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Timeline

Please note that future events are best case scenarios subject to change based on family needs, weather, world events, permits, seasons, and funding. Past event timeline is provided for reference.

 

LONG TERM PLANS

  • Eventually reach the base of Everest, Elbrus and Aconcagua by human power and climb each respectively

 

COMPLETED PHASES

This Summary Document provides details of the circumnavigation journey.

2012

  • 9 January - Crossed the Equator one last time, returning to the Northern Hemisphere.
  • 11 March - Reached Guiria in Venezuela after 154 days at sea, completing the first ever ocean crossing from the southern hemisphere to the northern, and also set the longest distance record on the Atlantic.
  • 19 March - Bicycled from Guiria to Carupano
  • 21 March to 27 May - Rowed from Carupano on the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatan Channel to Cameron in Louisiana. Total career rowing days reached 876, total career distance rowed reached 28,551 nm, securing Erden's spot as the leading ocean rower.
  • 21 June to 21 July - Bicycled from Cameron to Bodega Bay, across southwestern USA. Completed the first solo circumnavigation by human power in 5 years 11 days.
2011
  • Selected the Mateves Secondary School in Arusha as a long-term program. Contributed $5,000 toward the construction of additional classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students.
  • Issued a $5,000 matching grant toward the construction of Batman Girls' Dormitory in rural Turkey. This was in response to the campaign initiated by Bridge To Turkiye which concluded successfully at $201,000 in January 2011.
  • Contributed a symbolic amount to the Premier's Disaster Appeal in partnership with our friends at Cooktown Cares. This appeal was initiated by the Australian government to rebuild the areas of Queensland damaged by the floods and Cyclone Yasi in the winter of 2010-2011.
  • The total benefit generated for the İLKYAR Foundation reached $76,000.
  • April 20 - An additional 26 days of rowing across the Mozambique Channel from Mahajanga in Madagascar to Angoche in Mozambique brought Erden to mainland Africa. Erden thus became the first person to have rowed the complete Indian Ocean mainland to mainland between Australia and Africa.
  • June 5 - Erden arrived at Arusha by bicycle.
  • June 14 - Summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro (Stage 3), the highest point in Africa at 06:30 local time.
  • August 21 - Reached the port of Lüderitz Bay in Namibia after bicycling through Tanzania and Zambia.
  • October 10 - Launched on the South Atlantic ocean from Lüderitz Bay, Namibia.
2010
  • January 10 - 33 days later the Coral Sea crossing concluded by dropping anchor next to Sharp Point just south of Turtlehead Island. Australian Customs had not given permission to make landfall anywhere other than on Thursday Island.
  • January 28 - Resumed the journey by sea kayak from the point of anchorage at Sharp Point south toward Cooktown.
  • February 15 - Arrived at Cooktown after paddling the far northeast shores of Cape York Peninsula.
  • February 18 - Began bicycling due south.
  • April 10 - After pedaling 3.607 km to its base, climbed Kosciuszko.
  • June 1 - Bicycled west across the Nullarbor to Perth.
  • July 1 - Started bicycling north after preparing the rowboat for the Indian Ocean.
  • July 13 - Launched on the Indian Ocean from Carnarvon Boat Harbour.
  • November 26 - On day 137 of the Indian Ocean row, made landfall at the port of Mahajanga on Madagascar. Erden was cited on the ORS statistics as the first one to have rowed three oceans.
2009
  • January 5 - Erden and his rowboat arrived at the port of Lae in PNG, then transferred to reefer vessel GLAXINIA.
  • January 15 - GLAXINIA delivered Erden and his rowboat to the same May 17 location on the edge of the Bismarck Sea. Rowing began at night.
  • February 4 - Erden rowed into the Finsch Harbor on the north shores of PNG and walked on shore after 20 days spent on the Bismarck Sea. Easterly winds due to the extended La Nina conditions on the Pacific Ocean had suppressed the NW monsoon winds. The original plan to row clockwise around PNG were abandoned. Erden was cited on the ORS statistics for Pacific Ocean solo rows east to west.
  • September 26 - Concluded the five day walk from Maneba Wharf along the coast to Bukawa, located 40 km east of Lae.
  • October 30 - Reached Oro Bay by sea kayak from Bukawa after spending 20 days along the Solomon Sea shores of PNG.
  • November 26 - Finished the coast to coast walk from Oro Bay to Port Moresby at the Royal Papua Yacht Club.
  • December 8 - Departed Port Moresby by rowing, to cross the Coral Sea destination Australia.
2008
  • Jan-April - A full blown La Nina was in effect. The stronger than usual winds in the Intertropical Convergence Zone did not allow passage into the southern hemisphere. Erden's boat was carried due west by the seas, where he finally reached within 135nm of Wewak, Papua New Guinea.
  • May 17 - With 10 days worth of food remaining on board, the seas carried Erden's boat back offshore due north toward the storm tracks. Typhoon season had already started. A decision was made in favor of an "orderly retreat" to preserve the boat. Philippine fishing vessels from the Frabelle Fishing Corporation helped pick up Erden's boat. The 312 days that Erden had spent at sea became the new Guinness World Record for the longest time spent at sea by a singlehanded rower.
  • June 2 - Frabelle's reefer vessel PRIMROSE delivered Erden's ocean rowing boat to General Santos City in the Philippines.
  • December - Erden returned to General Santos City to prepare his boat for relaunch. She was loaded on the reefer vessel VANILLA on Christmas day and left the Philippines for PNG.
2007
  • Aktaş Group decided to join the project as the main sponsor.
  • May - Stage 2 of the Six Summits Project began. Second summit on the list was Kosciuszko in Australia. Erden bicycled from Seattle to Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, California in early May.
  • June 5 - First attempt to row from Tiburon through the Golden Gate Bridge was thwarted due to higher than expected onshore winds. With the strong winds, it was not possible to escape during the brief tidal window. US Coast Guard helped tow Erden back to Presidio Yacht Club under the bridge.
  • June 15 - Second attempt to begin the row from Tiburon was aborted at the Presidio Yacht Club when the observed wind conditions were again decidedly unfavorable.
  • July 2 - The departure was moved to Bodega Bay to eliminate the tides as a limiting factor. Erden reached Bodega Bay by bicycle from the Corinthian Yacht Club.
  • July 7 - Erden put the ocean rowing boat in the water at Bodega Bay, the starting point of the row across the Pacific toward Australia.
  • July 10 - Erden launched from Bodega Bay when a low pressure system brought southeasterly winds, unlike the prevailing northwesterlies. With such favorable winds, he was able to reach 80nm offshore before turning south. With this, the human powered circumnavigation was launched.
2006
  • January 1 - Tim Harvey and Erden Eruç decided to pursue their own personal objectives.
  • January 29 - Erden continued alone from Las Palmas toward Costa Rica.
  • May 2 - Erden entered the Caribbean Sea between the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe. He was cited in Ocean Rowing Society statistics for solo Atlantic crossings.
  • May 5 - Unfavorable winds and questionable weather forecasts with tropical depressions forced a retreat to Guadeloupe.
  • May - there was no sponsorship interest for the rowing circumnavigation idea, no reason to risk the boat further. Decision was made to focus on the Six Summits Project again.
  • July - Boat arrived at Miami by container from Guadeloupe, and was driven back to Seattle.
  • Boat was refurbished, sponsorships pursued, school presentations given.
2005
  • February 17 - Ocean rowing boat Calderdale is launched on Lake Union. Erden rowed with her for the first time.
  • April through October - Hurricane season rages in the Atlantic Ocean
  • The boat is overhauled to meet the demands of the open oceans, Erden trains for rowing and life on the oceans, seeks sponsors, arranges visas, and a whole lot more...
  • August 17 - the boat is loaded into a container destined for Lisbon, Portugal. Could Erden help Tim Harvey across the Atlantic, arriving in time to start his own journey from North America?
  • October 16 - on sabbatical from the Six Summits Project, Erden started to row with Tim Harvey from Lisbon. They are held up in Cascais for three weeks due to opposing winds.
  • November 9 - Winds changed in their favor and the team pressed on south, gaining valuable open water experience with this rowboat.
  • December 11 - Team arrived at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria by way of El Jadida and Safi in Morocco.
  • December - a rowing circumnavigation idea was entertained with the participation of additional rowers in different phases, proposals sent out.
2004
  • Early in the year, Erden focused on solidifying the Around-n-Over structure, developing processes, improving its web presence and recruiting new team members.
  • June - visited Sweden and spent time with Niclas Mċrdfelt, an ocean rower himself, member of the first Swedish pair to row across the Atlantic.
  • September - committed to buying the Calderdale - Yorkshire Challenger from UK with funds from a home equity loan.
  • October 3 - Erden left Seattle for Florida on a bicycle Göran-style from the Pocock Rowing Center at 07:00 am.
  • October 6 - Erden arrived at Portland
  • October 14 - Erden arrived at Boise
  • October 14 - Calderdale - Yorkshire Challenger arrived at Seattle by container.
  • October 19 - Erden arrived at Ogden city limits
  • November 3 - Erden arrived near Denver
  • November 22 - Erden arrived at Kansas City
  • November 27 - Erden arrived at St. Louis
  • December 3 - Erden arrived at Nashville
  • December 10 - Erden arrived at Atlanta
  • December 17 - Erden arrived at Jacksonville
  • December 25 - Erden concluded the continental crossing at the Miami Children's Museum after covering 3,980 miles over a period of 82 days and 3 hours.
2003
  • February 1 - Stage 1 began: Erden Eruç left Seattle for Alaska on a bicycle to climb Denali: highest point in North America, and the first of six summits. The ride was done Göran-style, by bicycle, towing all necessary personal gear on a trailer.
  • April 11 - Erden arrived at Anchorage.
  • April 27 - Erden rode to Talkeetna to meet the team.
  • May 1 - rode from Talkeetna to the Forks Roadhouse near Petersville, transitioned to snowshoes and sled.
  • May 14 - Erden pulled into Kahiltna Basecamp with Chris Woytko and Cory Groom after covering 67 miles on foot over Peter Hills, Dutch Hills, and the Kahiltna Glacier. Eddie Espinosa and Jeremy Cranford joined the team at the Kahiltna Basecamp for the climb.
  • May 29 - Erden stood on the summit of Denali with Eddie Espinosa and Cory Groom.
  • June 1 - Erden flew out of Kahiltna base camp.
  • June 8 - Erden joined Nancy Board in Anchorage.
  • June 15 - Erden married Nancy in Homer, Alaska in the native tradition.
  • June 28 - Erden started the return trip by bicycle from the Forks Roadhouse toward Seattle, leaving 67 miles to walk out at a later date.
  • August 24 - returned back home having covered 5,546 miles Göran-style.
  • November - received word from the IRS that Around-n-Over application for 501(c)(3) status was accepted.
2002
  • January - Erden ran across Göran at the Ouray Ice Festival in Colorado where Göran told Erden that he was moving to Issaquah near Seattle. Promises were made to climb together. Göran yet again provided encouragement for the project asking about Erden's progress.
  • September 30 - Göran Kropp tragically fell to his death while rock climbing in Frenchman Coulee near Vantage in eastern Washington state. Erden was belaying him at the time, in this very first opportunity that they had to climb together.
  • November - Erden decided to stop talking about the trip around the world and to commit. Erden modified the route to include the highest summits on six different continents along the way, to be reached by human power as a tribute to Göran's memory. The name of the journey now would be: Six Summits Project. The route was transformed into a true circumnavigation: crossing the equator at least twice, and touching antipodes on the globe.
  • December - Frank Olding guided Erden to Chris Beer. The decision was made to incorporate Around-n-Over as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Application process would begin to bring structure to all future activities.
2001
  • July - Erden met Göran Kropp when Göran visited Seattle for a presentation. Göran provided encouragement to follow through with the dream.
  • August - Erden pursued Red Cross as a partner, and National Geographic Society as a sponsor, being rebuffed by both. Other sponsorship applications were met with silence.
  • September 11 - World Trade Center towers in New York were attacked, once again slowing down the process, changing the dynamics and introducing doubt.
1999
  • Erden decided to realize the human powered travel around the northern hemisphere when a huge earthquake rocked northwestern Turkey, killing 17,000 people, displacing a quarter million. The project was to serve as a fundraiser for the Red Cross that helped in the relief efforts, and to raise earthquake awareness emphasizing earthquake prone areas of the globe during the journey.
  • Erden moved to Seattle. Read the book Ultimate High written by Göran Kropp.
  • Fall - Victoria "Tori" Murden became the first woman to row the Atlantic Ocean solo from the Canary Islands to Guadeloupe, providing the solution to the ocean crossings. Erden discovered the Ocean Rowing Society.
1997
  • Human powered journey first germinated in the mind of Erden Eruç while working in a software development lab in Silver Spring, Maryland.
  • Erden named the original project Journey Home which would reach Turkey after crossing the Bering Straits. The obvious follow up question was: "Why stop there?" leading to the mental breakthrough for the route around the northern hemisphere.
  • Erden uttered the name Around-n-Over for the first time while daydreaming about approaching Everest from the north and traversing its summit into Nepal. Could this be done during a trip around the northern hemisphere?
  • Research started on the human powered project to go around the northern hemisphere.

Around-n-Over, P.O. Box 19662, Seattle, WA 98109-6662 • Fax: 206-709-3927 • info@around-n-over.org
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