Adventurer will assist Canadian Tim Harvey across the Atlantic Ocean
Erden Eruç to test his ocean rowing boat in the open ocean

44-year-old adventurer is on a journey to circumnavigate the world under own power

SEATTLE, Aug. 23, 2005 - Extreme athlete Erden Eruç to circumnavigate the globe solely under his own power and to summit the highest peaks on each of six different continents, announced in Seattle that he will assist Canadian adventurer Tim Harvey to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Eruç, a resident of Seattle, is the president of the nonprofit Around-n-Over (www.around-n-over.org) the primary mission of which is to use human powered journeys to educate and to inspire school children.

Harvey has been on a human powered journey from Vancouver to Moscow (www.vancouvertomoscow.com) since the summer of 2004. With his former partner Colin Angus, they became the first modern men to row across the Bering Sea in an effort to travel west from North America to the farthest reaches of eastern Siberia. Harvey and his partners traveled over the frozen tundra in winter before gaining the Russian highway system in Yakutsk. Having covered daunting distances over land by bicycle, Harvey arrived at Moscow on August 18th.

"This was clearly a project worthy of Göran's legacy," said Eruç of Harvey's efforts and added: "I had to help Tim turn his great journey into something even greater." A few e-mail exchanges later, Eruç had offered his 23 foot trans-oceanic rower to Harvey in a bid to bring Harvey from Moscow back to his starting point in Vancouver. Harvey will travel over land by bicycle as before.

Eruç will row across the Atlantic Ocean together with Harvey to reach Miami first. Eruç will replenish supplies in Miami and board his boat again for the solo rowing voyage around Cuba, through the Panama Canal and on to Ecuador. His immediate objective is Mt. Aconcagua. Eruç will approach Aconcagua by bicycling south through Peru and Chile. At 22,840 feet, Aconcagua is the western hemisphere's highest point, and summitting it in December 2006 will put Eruç within four peaks of his goal in the Six Summits Project.

The Turkish native has already summitted Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak. In May 2003, Eruç reached the summit of the 20,320 foot Mt. McKinley in Alaska which included the 5,546 mile round trip bicycle ride from Seattle to Denali towing all of his climbing gear on a trailer. "Canadians helped me during my trip to Alaska," Eruç said, "and helping Tim is my gift back to them."

When his circumnavigation is completed late in 2011, Eruç will have climbed each of the tallest peaks in North and South America, Oceania, Asia, Africa and Europe while approaching each by bike and by foot, and rowed across three oceans. "I had planned in my old age after 2011 to help fellow adventurers achieve their dreams, but Tim forced my hand," Eruç said laughing.

Along the way, the former systems engineer turned expeditioner after a lay-off, will talk about his global journey to local school children to share the values of selflessness, sacrifice and perseverance of previous adventurers and expeditions including his late climbing partner, mountaineer Göran Kropp. Kropp is well known for his role in the rescue of several climbers who were stranded by a violent storm on Everest in 1996 and then successfully summiting the earth’s highest peak without the use of supplemental oxygen. Kropp’s journey to Everest included riding his bicycle laden with climbing gear from Sweden to Nepal.

Following a break to recover, Eruç expects to depart from Miami for Ecuador in February 2006 aboard the Calderdale, his 23 foot trans-oceanic rower. He expects to summit Aconcagua in January 2007, then Oceania's Carstenz Pyramid in the summer of 2008, Asia's Everest in 2009, Africa's Kilimanjaro in 2010 and finally Elbrus in Russia in 2011 before returning to Seattle later that year. The expedition will include time-off between legs for hurricane seasons on the oceans and winters on the mountains which will allow for recuperation and equipment repair and replenishment.

About Around-n-Over

Around-n-Over (www.around-n-over.org) is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization founded in Seattle by extreme athlete Erden Eruç to support human powered journeys. Eruç himself is on a self propelled quest to circumnavigate the globe by rowing three oceans. Eruç also aims to climb the highest summits on six continents upon landfall, approaching each by bicycle and on foot. By sharing his seven year journey with students world-wide through Around-n-Over, Eruç aims to instill the values of selflessness, sacrifice and perseverance in the tradition of previous adventurers and expeditions.

Around-n-Over is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America. Invicta Law Group is instrumental to the success of Around-n-Over, and the following organizations have contributed to the journey: BOB Trailers, OrtliebUSA, Seattle Vertical World, Concept2 Oars, Mountain House, Katadyn, Fisheries Supply, Winslow Liferafts, McQuaid & Co, MKG & Partners and Marjinal Marketing Communications.

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