Starting June 6th 2008, New York City based kayaker Marcus Demuth will depart on a solo circumnavigation of Iceland by sea kayak. This estimated 2 1/2 month and 1,450 mile trip has been attempted solo only twice, and has been successfully completed only once.

Marcus’ Around Iceland 2008 sea kayak expedition will be a fundraiser for the all volunteer Icelandic Sea & Mountain Rescue Organization (ICE-SAR), which coordinates 220 sea and mountain rescue teams, accident prevention divisions and youth sections. Thousands of volunteers dedicate themselves to accident prevention night and day, 365 day a year. Marcus chose to dedicate his trip to ICE-SAR in the hopes of raising awareness and valuable funds for the vital work that their volunteers do under life threatening weather conditions each day.

Utah resident Scott Appleman will kick off an estimated 1000-mile solo paddle trip of the Pacific Northwest coast from Seattle to Glacier Bay National Park on June 15, 2008. Aided by a deck-mounted kayak sail, Appleman will navigate the Inside Passage using wind, solar and human power in an effort to promote renewable resources and an active lifestyle.

Harnessing the wind will up the average mileage covered by day while capturing the sun’s rays on two 32-watt solar panels will provide ample energy to power essential electronics and a laptop computer.

Along the way Appleman will interview coastal inhabitants and photograph wildlife to gain insight and report on the health of the region and raise awareness about the benefits of responsible environmental stewardship.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit

On the heels of his record-breaking circumnavigation of Iceland in the summer of 2007, Greg Stamer is planning an unsupported, solo circumnavigation of Newfoundland, “the Rock”, Canada’s easternmost province, starting from St. John’s in June, 2008. This adventure is more than 1,700 miles around one of the most windswept locations in North America. Newfoundland is one of the world’s most beautiful kayaking destinations with icebergs, seals, puffins, breaching humpback whales, sea caves and a formidable rocky coastline. Abandoned fishing villages dot the coast.

Greg fell in love with Newfoundland and its people while teaching kayaking at a symposium there in 2007. “The country has a raw, primal beauty. Never before had I seen so many sea caves to play in, or so many thousands of birds, such as what I witnessed at Cape St. Mary’s in the Avalon Peninsula. Likewise the people are among the friendliest that I have ever met and would literally give you the shirt off their back if you were in true need. During my stay there I was offered berth in houses, inside cabins of ships and inside trailers. While I plan to stay in the wilds as much as possible, I know that interacting with the people of Newfoundland will be one of the greatest highlights of my journey. Winds will be a challenge as will the toll of long, high-mileage days”.

During his Iceland trip with Freya Hoffmeister last year, Greg completed two crossings of 90km, and 100km, the latter requiring more than 22 hours to complete. Neither of these crossings had been completed by kayak before. For the Newfoundland expedition Greg will be primarily kayaking headland to headland, and again making a number of challenging crossings, but he will also allow himself to be seduced into visiting the country’s beautiful bays and historic sites, including the ancient Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows.

As he did while circumnavigating Iceland, Greg will use Greenland-style paddles for his Newfoundland expedition. Greg is president of Qajaq USA, an organization devoted to promoting Greenland-style paddling.

The team will attempt the first ever circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago which is the northern most part of Norway in mid-June. These islands are some of the closest landmasses to the North Pole and are home to some of Europe's largest and most spectacular glaciers. Being so close to the Arctic Circle they will have close to 24 hours of daylight. This expedition has never been attempted before; the 1700 kilometre journey to take approximately 10 weeks.

A world travelled veteran of sea kayaking, Alon Ohad has a solid background of extreme expedition paddling. His taste for adventure has seen him negotiating the wild coastlines of Tasmania, Stewart Island and Ireland. At present Alon is working as a software developer and sea kayak guide in Tel Aviv, Israel and is devoting much of his spare time to honing his white water kayaking skills in preparation for a trip to India with Tim in September.

At 32, Tim Starr is an avid, talented and enthusiastic white water kayaker, With 15 years of experience under his spray deck Tim has had the chance to paddle in 6 out of the 7 continents. Tim is currently working as a raft guide and safety kayaker in British Columbia, Canada and when not working can be found hucking 40 foot waterfalls and organising white-water river expeditions. Although a relative novice to sea kayaking, Tim will be bringing with him to Svalbard a vast wealth of outdoor experience and knowledge.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suit
Ronin Pro life vests

The Borealis Paddling Expedition consists of five young women – Meg Casey, Nina Emery, Beth Halley, Karen Stanley and Emily Stirr – who, in the summer of 2005, paddled 95 days and over 1200 miles from Northern Saskatchewan to the Arctic Ocean. Along the way they raised over $50,000 to endow the Borealis Campership Endowment, which finances similar wilderness experiences for at-need youth.

This summer, the five are heading back to the Arctic with a new route and a different twist to their mission. Over the course of two months they will paddle from Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean via the Emile, Coppermine and Rae Rivers. The crux of the journey is a 50-mile overland crossing from the Coppermine to the Rae River, and then a descent of the rarely paddled Rae. The women are excited to explore and document this remote area, but they are also committed to doing so in a way that is compatible with a certain fading ethic of wilderness travel. This ethic is one that is emphasizes the connection with the natural, cultural and historical landscape; is rooted in a historical mode of transportation; travels simply, with a minimum of gear and technology; practices extreme minimal-impact camping; and personally invests in the processes of researching and preparing the necessary components of an expedition. In this way the Borealis Paddling Expedition hopes to balance exploration with tradition, and inspire a future generation of responsible and respectful wilderness travelers.

Birgit Ryningen and Anders Levoll are going to circumnavigate the Spitsbergen island in kayaks in the summer of 2008, without resupply. On their journey they will bring two kayaks, a tent and enough food and other equipment to last for two months.

Spitsbergen is the largest of the islands in the Svalbard archipelago, and when they are through, their journey will have added up to approximately 1500 km. In average they will have to paddle 30 km a day, that is if they do not encounter more than 10 days of waiting on the weather. This should equal 6-8 hours of paddling every day.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suit
MsFIT Tour and OutFit Tour life vests

Race Around Australia Expedition In 2007 Freya Hoffmeister circumnavigated Iceland in a record 33 days. Three months later, she set out to become the first woman to round the South Island of New Zealand, solo and unsupported. Seventy days later, the 43-year-old Kokatat supported paddler from Husum, Germany completed the record-setting trip that Paul Caffyn called “The most significant solo kayak trip undertaken by a woman in the southern hemisphere.”

In October 2008, Freya will set out on her next adventure, a solo circumnavigation of Australia. Expected to take her roughly one year, the 9,400 mile (15,000 km) journey around the southern continent is considered one of, if not the, most challenging trip in the world of expedition sea kayaking. While there have been dozens of attempts, Freya hopes to be the first woman to complete the journey and only the second person since Paul Caffyn, her friend and mentor for her NZ trip, completed it 25 years ago. Crocodiles, sharks, sea snakes, massive surf, exposed crossings along sheer cliffs, cyclones and tropical heat are some of the most daunting treats, not to mention the multi-day open water crossings and physical toll it will take to average upwards of 30 miles per day for one year.

Gear List:
Ronin life vest
GORE-TEX® TecTour Anorak
GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell Storm Cag
GORE-TEX® Deluxe Boater Pants
Surfskin Pants
GORE-TEX® Knappster
InnerCore Long Sleeve Shirt
Destination Hand Covers
Destination Sunwester

The last of Jon Bowermasters OCEANS 8 sea kayaking expeditions took Jon and his team to the Weddell Sea during Antarctica’s summer season. For five weeks – joined by an international team of kayakers and climbers, including old friends Will Steger, Rodrigo Jordan, and Graham Charles — using sea kayaks and climbing gear, the team explored the lesser-seen side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Their goal was to get as close to what remains of the Larsen B Ice Shelf, which continues to shrink as the seas surrounding the Peninsula warm. This expedition provides a unique look at how the seventh continent is changing, evolving and dramatically influencing the world’s oceans.

"This expedition offered both a perfect capping to my 10-year-long OCEANS 8 project (sea kayaking around the world one continent at a time, studying both the health of the seas and the lives of people who depend on them) as well as a unique combination of adventure and environmental reporting." - Jon Bowermaster.

Previous adventures have taken Jon and his Oceans 8 teams from the Aleutian Islands to Vietnam, French Polynesia to Tasmania; Antarctica fulfilled the promise to be the most adventurous and most educational.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® TecTour Anorak
GORE-TEX® Whirlpool bib
Ronin Pro life vest

German sea kayaker Freya Hoffmeister became the first woman to successfully circumnavigate New Zealand's South Island. This 2386 km trip is recognized as one of the most beautiful, yet committing and challenging paddles worldwide. Freya set a new record completing the trip in 70 days overall, with only 47 paddling days averaging 50 km per day. Freya paddled solo and unsupported, carrying all her camping equipment and food in the kayak, re-supplying along the way on the few longer stops.

On October 25th 2007, Freya launched at Okiwi Bay in the North, paddling clockwise, and completed the circumnavigation on January 2nd 2008. “Huge seas and swells, relentless roaring surf on the West Coast, the remote Fjordlands with no road access for more than 500 km and few sheltered landing spots are some of the reasons why only three men have succeeded in the past 30 years” says Freya. The unforgivable Tasman Sea took a toll on Freya and her equipment, breaking the stern off her kayak and swallowing her favorite paddle. But the beautiful scenery, together with plenty of seals and dolphins on mostly remote coastlines made up for any efforts and inconvenience, like dealing with bloodsucking sand flies at camp. A last highlight was set on the final leg, paddling continuously for 165 km in 32.5 hrs.

Freya’s past kayaking expeditions include the record setting circumnavigation of Iceland in only 33 days in 2007. She is invited to symposiums worldwide to teach and lecture about her kayaking experiences. Freya is a 43 year-old ex-gymnast, multi-sport woman and experienced skydiver. She lives in Husum with her 12 year old son when not traveling, running two ice cream cafes and a Christmas shop in winter.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suit
GORE-TEX® TecTour Anorak
GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell Storm Cag
Ronin Pro life vest

The team plans to circumnavigate the South Island in a clockwise direction, starting from Christchurch in late January 2008. They don’t have a support party and carry everything they need in the kayaks, re-supplying with food and fuel in shops along the way.

Justine Curgenven is an adventure filmmaker and expedition seakayaker, whose programmes have aired on the National Geographic Channel, Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC. She runs Cackle TV and created the highly acclaimed “This is the Sea” series of DVDs. She’s won several prestigious prizes including best ‘mountain sport’ film at Banff Mountain Film Festival. She regularly gives slide presentations and writes magazine articles, nationally and internationally. She’s competed for the England surf kayaking team, winning several of her heats. Previous seakayaking expeditions include leading the first all-female 900-mile circumnavigation of Tasmania, a solo trip around Iceland’s West Fjords, a 400mile journey up the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and a 500 mile circumnavigation of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Barry Shaw paddled around Great Britain with Phil Clegg and Harry Whelan in 2005. They beat Nigel Dennis and Paul Caffyn's record time by completing the 2,200 mile journey in 80 days. Barry’s paddled across the Irish sea between Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Man 8 times, a distance of up to 60 miles, and he paddled 75 miles around Anglesey in just 13 and a half hours. In 2007 he paddled 300 miles around the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Barry works enough to pay the bills and spends as much time as possible paddling, usually going out 4 or 5 times a week. He often works as a carpenter or teaches seakayaking for Nigel Dennis in Wales, and at UK and international symposiums. After a day of teaching seakayaking, he likes to spend the evening paddling in the Anglesey tidal races to make sure he keeps “an edge” to his personal paddling.

Gear List:
GORE-TEX® Whirlpool Bib
GORE-TEX® TecTour Anorak
MsFIT Tour life vest

In summer of 2008, Ann Kristin Gjelsten and Tommy Frantzen of Norway will depart on a self-supported sea kayaking expedition to circumnavigate Nordaustlandet, a total distance of 750 kilometres. They will carry food and equipment for 5 weeks with a goal to complete the circumnavigation in 30 days.

Tommy studied outdoor life at Norway’s Mountain School, and learned to sea kayak at Norway’s Kayak Federation. At age 49, Tommy has been kayaking for over 25 years and now owns a kayak school in Norway’s beautiful Sommerøya. Past experiences include previous kayaking trips to Svalbard, and sea kayaking trips to New Zealand and British Columbia. After many ski expeditions and three winter seasons as a hunter and gunman in the polar area of Spitsbergen, Tommy has extensive knowledge and respect for this region.

Ann Kristin, with only 2 years of sea kayaking experience, has become competent and fearless on the water. At 43 years of age, she is no novice to extreme sports with experience in both parachuting and diving. Whether it’s with her kayak or hiking boots, Ann Kristin looks forward to any opportunity for an adventure.